The Gilmore Twins
by elang4
Summary: Inspired by TayChelle90's Gilmore Girls Part 2! Lorelai had twin girls, Rory and Charlotte. Follow the three of them as they encounter lots of mishaps, fun and drama! Starts during the fourth episode of season 2. Will be a javajunkie at some point.
1. Chapter 1

**I know a lot will groan when you realise I'm starting yet another new story but I've been reading Gilmore Girls Part 2 and have really been inspired. I know I've done a 'Rory has a twin sister' story before but it was quite a while ago and I feel like I've improved with my writing so far and figured I'd try again. :)**

 **So basically this will start during the fourth episode of season 2 which means everything before then has happened as it did in the show. It will follow the Gilmore Girls through the seasons with lots of mishaps, fun and drama. I really hope you like it! :)**

Chapter 1

Charlotte Gilmore was sat in the passenger seat of her mother's jeep, staring out of the window, as they returned from their spontaneous road trip. She glanced across at her mom who was focused on her driving and hadn't said anything for most of the journey. She knew that her mom was nervous returning to Stars Hollow where everyone would now know the news about the wedding being cancelled. She glanced back at Rory who was also unusually quiet, staring out of the window as well. She sighed as she returned to looking out of her window. She knew it had been hard on Rory and hadn't realised just how much her sister had become attached to Max until she'd confronted their mom last night about it. Of course, she was sad about the wedding being cancelled because she had liked Max and she had wanted her mom to be happy but she hadn't been as close to him as Rory was. Max wasn't actually one of her teachers at school and it did feel kind of weird that he was engaged to their mom. She had to admit that she was dreading people finding out at school. She knew how cruel kids could be.

As they drove through the square in Stars Hollow, lots of the townspeople were out and were sending Lorelai sympathetic smiles and waves. Kirk even gave her a virtual hug.

"Boy, Patty's good." Lorelai murmured.

Charlotte glanced across at her. "Are you ok, mom?"

Lorelai gave her a small smile. "Yeah I'm ok." She said softly.

They drove into the driveway at the Crap Shack and Lorelai parked the car. "Oh." She said quietly. "I'd forgotten about that."

Charlotte and Rory both followed her gaze to the chuppah that Luke had made for her. "Do you want us to move it?" Rory asked.

Lorelai looked at it and then eventually shook her head. "No." She said softly. "I think I want to keep it." She then forced a smile on her face. "Right let's get inside and get changed. Your Grandma's already annoyed we went on a road trip without her. She'll be even more annoyed if we're late for dinner." She joked.

Charlotte and Rory smirked and followed their mom inside.

* * *

"Put it in focus, Lorelai." Emily said as she was sat on the couch with Charlotte and Rory watching the slideshow of photos they had brought with them.

"It is in focus." Lorelai said.

"It's blurry." Emily said.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and flipped onto the next photo. "Ah now this is a Harvard squirrel!" She grinned. "Oh and this is half of Rory's dorm and half of my thumb!"

"Oh good god!" Emily exclaimed. "I don't see why you had to do a slideshow and not just bring prints. They're so much easier to look through and quicker!" She said emphasising 'quicker'.

"Oh you're lucky. We had to stop her from putting music along with it." Charlotte joked.

"I'm very grateful." Emily said dryly.

"Oh you're just jealous we didn't invite you along with us." Lorelai teased, turning off the projector.

"Next time we will, Grandma." Rory smiled.

"Next time you will get a tour guide and do it properly." Emily said. "What did your fiance think about this spontaneous trip anyway? You just leaving suddenly just before the wedding."

Charlotte and Rory glanced at their mom who had suddenly looked shifty and nervous.

"Oh..uh..well..." Lorelai stammered.

"Mom.." Rory said quietly, urging her mom to just be honest.

Emily caught the exchange and looked at her daughter. "What? What is it?"

"Well..uh..about the wedding..." Lorelai started.

"Oh my god, you've eloped! I can't believe you would do that! You are just determined to keep me out of anything to do with your life, aren't you?" She exclaimed.

"Mom..." Lorelai tried to interrupt.

"Seriously Lorelai, why would you do that?" Emily exclaimed.

"Grandma! Mom didn't elope. The wedding's off." Charlotte said, helping her mom.

"What?" Emily stopped, turning to her granddaughters and then her daughter in shock.

Lorelai sighed. "She's right, mom. The wedding's off. We've called it off."

"Oh." Emily said. She glanced at her daughter. "Well who called it off?"

"I did." Lorelai said quietly.

"Oh. Well...ok." Emily said slowly sitting back down.

"Ok?" Lorelai said confused. "That's all you have to say?" She asked surprised her mother wasn't giving her the third degree. "Please mom, just get it over with. Tell me what you're thinking."

"Well..I was thinking that I would have to return your present." Emily said honestly.

"You bought me a present?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Of course I bought you a present." Emily said as if it was obvious. "You were getting married, Lorelai. It's obligatory that the guests get you a present."

"Oh." She said still surprised. "So..uh..what did you get us?" She asked.

"That doesn't matter now."

"You might as well tell me." Lorelai said.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Well you're not getting it now so it doesn't make a difference. I'm going to check on the dinner." She said.

"Come on mom! Please just tell me!" Lorelai said getting up to follow her.

"Seriously Lorelai, are you four? Does it bother you that much not knowing?" Emily exclaimed exasperated.

"Uh yes!" Lorelai said as if it was obvious.

"Just drop it." Emily said. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Fine." Lorelai pouted and went back into the living room.

Charlotte and Rory exchanged amused glances as they watched their mom go quickly through the shortcut to the kitchen and then ambushing their Grandma in the kitchen. Charlotte smiled as she saw Rory stifle a laugh as they heard their mom not let it drop. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked softly.

Rory turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, after...everything." Charlotte said. "We're going to be going back to school soon and well...Max will be there. He teaches you and I know you've grown close to him."

Rory sighed. "I guess it will be a bit awkward at school..."

"Rory..."

"Ok I guess I am a bit upset the wedding's not happening. I thought he would have been a pretty good step father but...well it's not happening now so there's no use dwelling on it." Rory shrugged.

"I don't think mom loved him." Charlotte said quietly. Rory looked at her surprised. "I mean, she was happy with him. Maybe she thought she loved him but deep down I think she knew it didn't feel right. It sucks that it had to happen like this and she had to realise this late but at least it wasn't after the wedding right?"

"Yeah I guess you're right." Rory said softly.

"One day, mom will find someone and she'll just know it's right." Charlotte smiled.

Rory smiled at her sister. "Yeah."

"Maybe it will be Kirk." Charlotte smirked.

Rory laughed. "Now that's a scary thought!"

* * *

Lorelai drove back to Stars Hollow after their dinner and parked across from Luke's. "Hey am I too far away from the kerb?" She asked as they got out of the car.

"Nah you're only about a metre away." Charlotte joked.

"That'll do." Lorelai joked.

"Rory! Charlie!" A voice shouted across the square.

"Oh my god, Lane!" Rory exclaimed watching their friend run towards them. "You're back!" She grinned giving her a hug.

"I'm back!" Lane grinned at her best friend, giving Charlotte a hug too.

"So how was Korea? Was it awful?" Charlotte grinned.

"Actually it wasn't so bad." Lane admitted. "Hi Lorelai." She smiled at her.

"Hi sweetie. It's good to see you." Lorelai smiled.

"You too! Korea wasn't bad but it is good to be back." Lane smiled. "I've missed you all."

"We've missed you too." Rory smiled.

"So what's the gossip here?" Lane asked.

"We took a tour of Harvard!" Rory grinned excitedly.

"No way!" Lane exclaimed just as excitedly. "Was it amazing?"

"Girls, I'm just going to pop into Luke's." Lorelai smiled at them, knowing they'd want a chance to catch up.

"Ok." Rory said.

"I'll meet you in there in a bit." Charlotte said.

"Ok." Lorelai smiled and then turned and headed towards the diner. She opened the door and entered, immediately seeing Luke at one of the tables.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hi. We're back." Lorelai smiled.

"I can see that. How was your trip?" He asked heading behind the counter, grabbing a cup and pouring coffee into it.

"It was good. Oh we went to Harvard. Rory was in her element." Lorelai smiled.

"Really? That's cool! And how did you feel seeing her in her element?" He asked.

"I loved it...and I hated it." She admitted.

Luke chuckled. "Makes sense. So Rory fit in there? You could see her there?" He asked.

"Oh she definitely fit in there alright. She even crashed a lecture while we were there." Charlotte grinned joining her mom at the counter. "Hi Luke!"

"Hey." Luke smiled at her. "And how about you? Could you see yourself going to Harvard?"

Charlotte snorted. "Not likely."

"You're smart. You'd fit in there as well." Luke said.

"Exactly what I keep telling her." Lorelai smiled.

"It doesn't really do anything for me." Charlotte shrugged. "I want to go somewhere I can get on a really good art course." She said. Charlotte was the opposite to Rory in school. She was just as smart as Rory but English and history didn't interest her like they did for Rory. She much preferred the more arty subjects and she was extremely talented in it.

"Well you'd do just as good in that. I've seen your sketches." Luke smiled.

Charlotte shrugged. "I enjoy it." She said humbly. She then got up. "Oh hey, can I grab some fries?" She asked.

"If I say no, will you just go in the kitchen and grab some anyway?" He said.

"Yes." Charlotte grinned.

"Go ahead." He grunted. "But let me warn you..."

"I'm knocking years off my life, yeah yeah I know!" Charlotte said disappearing into the kitchen.

"She's turning into you." Luke said.

"I've taught her everything I know." Lorelai grinned.

Luke just rolled his eyes. He filled up her cup again as it was surprisingly already empty. He glanced at her and hesitated before speaking again. "I'm sorry about...you know...the wedding." He said quietly.

"It's fine." Lorelai said glancing round the diner. "And I'd like everyone else to know that."

"I've been feeling like a jerk. I kept talking him down when I should have been supportive." Luke said gruffly. "Sorry. He seemed like a good guy."

"Yeah he was." Lorelai smiled softly. "But you don't need to apologise. You've already said sorry for that."

"I know. I just...I shouldn't have been so hard on the guy." Luke shrugged.

"It's ok. Really Luke." Lorelai smiled.

"Ok. Thanks." Luke said. He glanced at her. "You're ok really?"

"Yeah I'm ok. Max was...well he was a great guy and he really loved me. But I knew deep down I didn't love him enough. It was wrong stringing him along." She sighed.

"You seemed happy with him." Luke said softly.

"Yeah I was. But I guess that's not enough sometimes right?" She said glancing up at him.

"Yeah I guess so." He said softly, thinking about Rachel.

"So I'm going to head back to Lane's. Rory's gone back there to catch up with her and I said I'd meet them there. Is that ok?" Charlotte asked appearing from the kitchen.

"Sure hon, you go ahead. I'm going to go catch up with Sookie and I'll meet you at home." Lorelai smiled.

"Ok!" Charlotte smiled turning to leave.

"Hang on a minute." Luke said stopping her.

"What?" Charlotte asked innocently.

"What have you got in that bag?" Luke asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." She said guiltily.

"Nothing huh?" Luke raised her eyebrows.

Charlotte pouted and pulled out two burgers and another portion of fries. "They're for Rory!" She tried.

"Sure they are. As if Mrs Kim would let you in her house with that food." Luke smirked.

"Ok I confess! I was going to eat them on the way." Charlotte pouted. "Look I will save a burger for Rory for after we leave Lane's if you prefer!"

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel much better." Luke said dryly. "Go, clog your arteries, I can't stop you anyway."

"Thanks Luke!" Charlotte grinned, giving him and her mom a wave before leaving.

"I can't believe you taught them that pout." Luke shook his head at Lorelai.

"Works every time." Lorelai grinned. "Just admit it, you can't resist the charms of the Gilmore girls."

"Yeah it does look like that." Luke said smirking slightly. "You want a burger?"

"Sure." Lorelai nodded. "And then I want to pick your brains on something." She said.

"Ok. Give me two minutes and I'll be right back." He said.

"Ok." Lorelai smiled watching him disappear into the kitchen. She let out a breath. She was dreading coming back to Stars Hollows but as an idea hit her, she was feeling much more positive about it and her future. _Time to move onwards and upwards._ She thought.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please do let me know what you think and whether it's worth me continuing! Your support means everything to me. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all your support and reviews! :) Just to confirm, Rory and Charlotte aren't identical twins. Here's the next chapter which might include the arrival of Stars Hollow's bad boy. ;)**

Chapter 2

"How are your eggs?" Rory asked as she was sat at a table in Luke's with Charlotte and Lorelai.

"They're good." Lorelai said.

"Charlie?" Rory asked.

"Mine are still good too." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm glad." Rory said sarcastically.

"Look freak you're not going to be late!" Lorelai said.

"I want to get there early." Rory said.

"Really? We would never have guessed." Charlotte joked getting a glare from Rory in return. She laughed. "Come on Ror! We'll leave in a bit and I can definitely say we will get there early." She said.

"I'm sorry. I'm just excited. I have new classes and want to find the quickest route." Rory said.

"Alright, I'll go pay now." Lorelai smirked.

"I'll come with you. I want to swipe a doughnut for the bus journey." Charlotte said following her mom up to the counter just as Taylor came in with a group of young boys.

"Right form a line and each of you will place your order separately and then proceed to the back of the line." Taylor said authoritatively.

"I want a burger." One of the boys said.

"I want a grilled cheese. And I want fries and make them extra crispy." Another boy said.

"I want mine crispy too." The first boy said.

"You didn't order fries!" The second boy accused him.

"So?" The first boy retorted.

"So you can't order crispy fries before first ordering fries." Luke butted in.

"Why not?" The boy asked.

"Because you can't make something crispy that didn't exist in the first place." Luke said.

"Why not?" The boy repeated.

"Get him away from me Taylor." Luke said gruffly.

"Now have some respect Luke! These boys just completed their first leg of their outdoor survival training."

"Meaning you had them sit under a tree for two hours and made them glue rocks together." He said.

"You're a very jaded man Luke, what happened to you as a kid?"

"Some man in creepy shorts and knee high socks made me sit down under a tree for two hours gluing rocks together." Luke said. "Put that down." He told the seond boy as he lifted the lid to the doughnuts.

"Why?" The boy asked.

"Because otherwise you're going under it."

"I won't fit."

"Oh yes you will." Luke said.

"Hey..uh..doughnuts please!" Lorelai butted in.

"Hey we were first!" The first boy exclaimed.

"On earth?" Charlotte chipped in.

"Huh?" The boy said confused.

"Exactly!" Charlotte said. "Three doughnuts with chocolate sprinkles please!"

They were interrupted by the diner phone ringing causing everyone to groan.

"Pipe down will you?!" Luke grumbled answering the phone.

Charlotte went round the back of the counter, grabbed a bag and started to put three doughnuts in it.

"Hey Mr Doose, she's not allowed to do that!" One of the boys said pointing to Charlotte.

"You're right. She's not. She's breaking the rules and if you break the rules, you will get in trouble and be very upset." Taylor said.

"Good thing Luke loves me then." Charlotte grinned causing Taylor to roll his eyes.

"What?! You are impossible, you know that?!" They were interrupted by Luke shouting down the phone. "You know what, make the arrangements, I don't care. I'm working, I have to go." He said angrily hanging up the phone.

"Is everything ok?" Lorelai asked.

"Do you have a sister?" He asked.

"Uh..no..." Lorelai said confused.

"I do!" Charlotte raised her hand.

"You have my sympathies." Luke said.

"Thanks!" She grinned.

* * *

Lorelai was walking up to the diner when she saw Luke walking with several bags, struggling to balance everything eventually dropping a bag on the sidewalk as he got to the diner. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Just redecorating the sidewalk." He said dryly.

"Nice." Lorelai said. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope." He said picking up the dropped bag with difficulty.

"Do you need any help?" She repeated.

"Nope. You can go now." Luke said standing back up but just as he got up, a box of Frosted Flakes fell down.

"So do you need any help?" Lorelai smirked.

Luke sighed. "Yeah. Thanks." He said gruffly.

Lorelai followed him in and up to his apartment. "So why have you got Frosted Flakes?" She asked. "Have you suddenly got a craving for sugary cereals?"

"No. But my nephew likes it." He said.

"Your nephew's coming to visit?" Lorelai asked helping him take the bags inside.

"Nope, he's coming to stay." Luke said.

"Your sister's moving here?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope." Luke said.

"Do I have to ask 18 more questions?" She quipped.

Luke sighed. "My nephew's got himself in a bit of trouble, my sister can't handle him at the moment so she's sending him here. Reckons a new place might be good for him."

"So he's going to live with you? You're going to straighten this kid out?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"It'll probably do him good to get away for a bit." Luke said.

"Well what sort of trouble has he gotten himself into?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know." Luke shrugged.

"You didn't ask?" She asked surprised.

"No. Why does it matter?" Luke said.

"Well because he could be off the rails. He might be too much to handle. Do you think this is a good idea?" Lorelai asked.

"Wait, are you seriously trying to talk me out of this?" Luke asked.

"No...but have you really thought about this?"

"What's there to think about? He's family. You look out for family." Luke said gruffly.

"Ok I get that but..." Lorelai said.

"But what?" Luke asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Well if you're sure then I'm here for you if you need any help." She relented.

Luke glanced at her and nodded. "Thank you." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile at Chilton, Rory was still having to deal with Paris being mad at her over the stupid concert tickets Tristan had bought for her even though she had no plan on going with him. After thinking she had managed to call a truce with her, Rory realised that things weren't going to be as easy as she thought when she found out Paris had given her the wrong time for the paper meeting. After vowing to write the best piece on pavement possible, she left the room and ran straight into Max. She froze, opened her mouth to say something but then turned and bolted.

Charlotte watched nearby from the locker and watched her sister rush off. She took a deep breath before walking slowly up to Max. She knew they were going to bump into him at some point. "Mr Medina?" She said quietly.

Max turned and was surprised to see Charlotte actually talking to him. He gave her a sad smile. "Charlotte..." He said softly.

Charlotte gave him a small smile and sighed, glancing round. "Well this is..." She said.

"Awkward?" He offered.

Charlotte let out a breath and actually allowed herself to laugh a little. "Yeah." She admitted.

"Look Charlotte.." He started.

"It's fine." Charlotte said.

"I just want you to know, I hope things won't be awkward between us." He said. "Seeing as we're going to be seeing each other a lot around here. I mean I know I'm not your teacher or anything but..." He started rambling.

Charlotte gave him a smile. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Sorry? What are you sorry about?" He asked surprised.

"I'm sorry my mom called off the wedding. For what it's worth, Rory and I were excited about you becoming our step father." She said quietly. She glanced in the direction that Rory rushed off in. "I'm sure Rory won't avoid you forever. She's not mad at you. I think she just feels like avoiding you would be what mom would want her to do which is obviously stupid because mom knows we're going to see you around here." Charlotte said. She sighed. "I guess you're not the only one who can ramble..." She said.

"I don't blame Rory. Can you tell her that for me?" He said. "And for what it's worth, I was excited about becoming your step father as well."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Mom never wanted to hurt you." She said quietly.

"I know." He assured her. "Tell her...tell her I have no regrets ok?" He said.

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "Ok." She said softly.

"I better get going. I'm glad we got to talk." He said softly.

"Yeah me too." Charlotte smiled.

"Bye Charlotte." He smiled.

"Bye Norman." Charlotte said with a slight smirk.

Max chuckled and walked off into the school.

* * *

"So is he here?" Lorelai asked as she sat down at the counter in the diner.

"Yep." He said.

"So where is he?" She asked.

"Out." Luke said.

"Out? What do you mean, out?" She asked.

"He went out for a walk." Luke shrugged.

"But he doesn't know the town. What if he gets lost here?" Lorelai asked.

"Really mom? You turn three lefts and you're back to where you started." Charlotte said appearing by her side. "Hi!" She grinned.

"Hey hon!" Lorelai smiled at her.

"Talking of him, here he is now." Luke said nodding towards the door where Jess was coming back in. He headed straight to the stairs but Luke stopped him. "Hey Jess? I'd like you to meet some people. This is Lorelai, my friend." He said.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Lorelai smiled at him.

Jess just nodded, obviously not impressed.

"I hope you enjoy staying here and I wanted to meet you before Luke fills your head with lots of crazy things about this town and me. Granted the town can be a bit eccentric but it's great." Lorelai tried to get him to converse but he remained silent. "So..uh..class dismissed." She tried to joke.

"And this is her daughter Charlotte." Luke said gesturing to Charlotte.

"Hi." Charlotte grinned, taking in his leather jacket and black, messy, gelled hair.

"Hey." Jess finally spoke.

"So are you hungry because..." Luke started but Jess had already disappeared upstairs.

"Well he's chatty." Lorelai commented.

"He's just adjusting. He'll be fine in a few days." Luke said.

"Hey I have an idea! How about you come round to ours for dinner tonight? I'll invite Sookie and Jackson as well. It will give him a chance to meet some more people. And Rory as well." Lorelai suggested. "What do you think?" She asked Charlotte.

"Huh? What?" Charlotte asked dragging her gaze away from the curtain.

"Dinner tonight with Sookie, Jackson, Luke and Mr Chatty." Lorelai said.

"Oh..yeah, that sounds cool." Charlotte nodded.

"So about 7?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Sure ok. Thanks." He nodded disappearing into the kitchen.

"Hon?" Lorelai said to Charlotte.

"Yeah?" Charlotte said.

"Put your tongue back in your mouth, sweets. It's not attractive." She joked.

"I wasn't..." Charlotte tried to protest.

"Sure you weren't hon." Lorelai said patting her arm.

"Hey!" Rory said having come in and sat next to them.

"Hey hon!" Lorelai smiled. "How was school?"

"Urghh, I hate her!" Rory groaned.

"Me too!" Lorelai nodded.

"You don't even know who I'm talking about." Rory said.

"Solidarity sister."

"Paris." Rory groaned.

"Enough said." Lorelai said. "So..uh..did you bump into Max at all?" She asked hesitantly.

"Actually, no." Rory said.

"Really? Isn't he your Lit teacher?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah but I had really tall people sat infront of me so..." Rory said quietly.

"Rory.." Lorelai said softly.

"I had a nice talk with him today." Charlotte admitted.

"You did?" Lorelai asked surprised. Rory turned to her in surprise as well.

"Yeah. After you bolted from him." Charlotte said looking at Rory.

"I didn't bolt." Rory tried to argue.

"You kind of did.."

Rory sighed. "I just...I didn't know what to say." She admitted.

"So you talked to him?" Lorelai asked Charlotte.

"Yeah. It was nice. He was nice. He told me to tell you he had no regrets." She shrugged. "I'm glad we got to talk."

Lorelai gave her daughter a small smile. "Well I'm glad you got to, too." She said softly.

"I don't think he has any hard feelings, mom. He seemed...I don't know..." Charlotte shrugged. "I think he's forgiven you."

Lorelai sighed. "I hope so. I didn't mean to hurt him. I hope he knows that."

"I think he does." Charlotte said softly.

"So have you met Luke's nephew yet?" Rory asked changing the subject.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai opened the door to find Luke and Jess stood on the other side of it. "Hi!" She smiled.

"Hey." Luke smiled. "Sorry we're late. We kind of got mixed up on what time we were meant to be here." He apologised.

"Oh don't worry, come on in. Hi Jess." She smiled.

"Hi." He said. They walked into the living room where Jess spotted photos on the fire place. He had a look at them. He noticed Charlotte in a lot of them along with another girl.

"Hey Jess, want to come into the kitchen?" Lorelai said.

Jess just nodded and followed them to find two other people busy cooking.

"Sookie, Jackson, this is Jess." Lorelai introduced them.

"Do you like cheese?" Sookie asked him immediately.

"What?" He said.

"Hey this is a great lemon! Don't you think this looks like a great lemon?" He smiled at Jess.

Jess just looked at them as if they were crazy.

"Jackson grows fruit and then scares people with it." Lorelai quipped. She went over to the doorway of the girls' room. "Rory? Charlie? They're here." She said then walked over to help Sookie plate up the food.

Jess wandered over to the room and saw who he assumed was Rory sat at a desk. She turned round and smiled at him. "Hey!"

"Hey." He nodded walking into the room. He then spotted Charlotte sat on a bed the other side of the room.

"Hi again!" She smiled.

"Hi." He said. He then spotted the shelves full of books. "Hooked on phonics are you?" He asked, directing his question at Charlotte.

"Wow, you can do it." Charlotte said.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Say more than one word." She grinned.

"Busted." He smirked. "So do you read?" He asked.

"Nah. Well I do a bit but most of those are Rory's." She said.

"Cool." He nodded looking through them, picking out a copy of _Howl_.

"Do you read?" Rory asked.

"Not much." He said.

"That's a good book. You can borrow it if you want?" Rory said.

"It's ok." Jess said walking away from it. He walked over to the window. "So does this open?" He asked.

"Why?" Charlotte asked getting up.

"Just wondering." He said.

"Yeah it does. You slide it up." She said.

Jess did as she said. "Huh. So it does." He said. He glanced at both of them. "So shall we?"

"Shall we what?" Rory asked.

"Bail." He said.

Charlotte smirked. "Oh I'm hurt. Are you really that bored of our company that you can't bear to be in it any longer?" She joked.

"No. That's why I said we." Jess smirked.

"Oh well in that case..." Charlotte joked.

"Stop it!" Rory laughed. "Look there's nowhere to bail to. Now Sookie's made lots of delicious food. Just stay and I promise you might even start to enjoy yourself."

"Why should I trust you?" Jess said.

"Well don't we look trustworthy?" Charlotte asked.

"Maybe." Jess smirked.

"Come on, Rory's right. I know we all seem crazy but we might surprise you." She grinned walking into the kitchen with Jess and Rory following her. "You want a soda?" She asked.

"I'll get it." Jess said.

"Ok." She smiled grabbing one for herself and Rory and then disappearing into the living room with her.

Jess opened the fridge and saw the sodas. He then saw a beer. He glanced round to check that noone was coming before grabbing a beer and leaving through the back door.

* * *

"So this thing with Luke? Is it bad?" Charlotte asked as they walked to Luke's the next morning.

"It's fine. It's not even a thing." Lorelai said.

"Really?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows not believing her. "Because the shouting in the kitchen I heard really confirms that." She said.

"You heard us?" Lorelai asked cringing.

"I think even Babette could have heard you." Rory commented.

"You know you could just apologise." Charlotte suggested. "Say sorry for arguing with Jess and then all three of us can go into the diner together."

"I shouldn't have to apologise! Jess was the one in the wrong. None of you heard what he said." Lorelai exclaimed.

"True." She nodded. "But he'd just got here. He's probably angry at being sent here and just wanted some piece. It was his first night."

"I don't care. I'm not in the wrong here. I shouldn't have to apologise." Lorelai said stubbornly.

"You know, he's going to know." Rory said. "Going in and ordering three coffees and three danishes is so obvious!"

"It'll be fine! Now go because I'm starving." She shooed them into the diner.

"This is so not going to work." Charlotte mumbled as she entered the diner with Rory.

"I know." Rory said back.

* * *

"So you did the interview?" Charlotte asked Rory as they walked back into their house after school that day. Rory had been tasked with doing an interview with Chilton's most popular teacher which was Mr Medina.

"I hate Paris." Rory grumbled.

"You did it though right?" Charlotte asked.

Rory nodded. "Yeah I did." She said quietly.

"And?"

"It was...nice." She admitted. "We got to talk about some things. It was nice."

"Well that's good then." Charlotte smiled glad Rory seemed happier.

"Yeah it is." Rory smiled.

They suddenly heard banging on the back door and heard their mom let Luke in.

"I pushed him in a lake!" Luke exclaimed.

Rory and Charlotte exchanged amused glances. Rory disappeared into her room while Charlotte stood in the doorway listening to Luke rant about how he'd argued with Jess about some money that had gone missing which resulted in him pushing Jess into the lake. She went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel and then quietly left the house heading towards the diner.

She went up to the apartment and knocked on the door. She had to stifle a laugh when a soaking wet Jess answered the door. "Hey! I heard you went for a dip in the lake." Charlotte smirked.

"I could do him for assault." Jess grumbled.

"But you won't." Charlotte grinned.

"Knowing him he's probably best friends with the cop in this crazy town so what's the point?" He grumbled.

"Oh Coop yeah! Him and Luke are tight!" She grinned.

"Good for them." He muttered.

"Here." She said handing him a towel.

"Thanks." He grumbled taking it from her letting her in.

"So what were you arguing about?" She asked.

"Some money went missing from that crazy old guy's store. It was for the bridge or something. Apparently I'm the number one suspect." Jess said.

"Did you take it?" She asked.

Jess looked at her. "Ok I might look stupid but I'm not that stupid."

"You so did, didn't you?" She laughed. "Why? What's the point?"

"He annoyed me ok?" Jess grumbled.

"Taylor?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. I was in the store and he was all over me. Hovering. It was like he thought I was going to steal something." Jess said.

"So in retaliation you stole the money?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. So?" He said. "I didn't spend it." He added.

"Ok well why don't you just return it then?"

"Why?"

"Well unless you want Taylor bugging you everyday, it would just be easier for you." She shrugged. "Plus it would mean Luke not coming to our house freaking out because he just pushed you into a lake and ranting about jam hands."

"Jam hands?" Jess asked confused.

"I don't know. He was in full flow." She shrugged. "You know, Luke's actually ok. Everyone else in this town might seem crazy but Luke's ok. He's helped us out numerous times and he only wants to do right by you."

Jess just shrugged and dried his hair with the towel.

"I should get going. Rory and I have to buy some things for school. Think about returning the money ok?" She said heading for the door.

"Thanks for the towel." He said.

"You're welcome." She said and then left.

* * *

Jess had to get out of the diner that evening. Luke had just done this whole speech about not letting him fail and throw his life away. He knew he meant well but he felt smothered so he got out of there. As he was cross the road by the diner, he spotted Rory and Charlotte leaving the stationery shop. He walked towards them. "Hey." He said.

"Hi." Rory said.

"Hey! I see you've dried off." Charlotte smirked. "Returned the money yet?"

"Geez will you give up?" He said. "The store's closed so unless you want me to become a ghost and walk through walls, I don't have anywhere to return it to."

"Well you always have tomorrow." Charlotte grinned.

"Hey wanna see something?" He asked them.

"What?" Rory asked.

He pulled out a coin from his pocket and suddenly after doing an illusion it was gone.

"Impressive." Charlotte said.

"Word of advice? If you ever want to speak to me again, don't pull that out of my ear." Rory said.

"So I assume the nose is out of limits too?" He asked.

"Anywhere that's it not natural to find a coin." Rory said.

"You have the same opinion?" He asked Charlotte.

"Nope." She grinned.

He put his hand behind her ear and suddenly brought out a coin. "Ta da." He smirked.

"You really are quite a magician aren't you? Next you'll be saying it wasn't your fault the money went missing. It just happened to vanish in thin air and appear in your pocket." She joked.

"Well now you say that..." He smirked.

"So what are you doing out?" Rory asked.

"Just taking a walk." Jess said.

"Well we're just heading home. I've got to finish this assignment for school." She said.

"Ok. One last trick?" He asked.

"Sure." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Here." He said handing her a copy of _Howl_.

"You bought a copy? I told you I'd lend you mine." Rory said.

"It is yours."

"You stole my book." Rory said.

"Wow you have been busy." Charlotte commented.

"I borrowed it." He clarified.

"Ok that's not called a trick, that's called a felony."

"I just wanted to write some notes in the margins." Jess said.

"What?" Rory said looking through the book, Charlotte looking over her shoulder. "You've read this." She said surprised.

"About forty times." He said.

"I thought you said you didn't read much." Rory said.

"Well, what is much?" He smirked.

"You really are full of surprises aren't you?" Charlotte joked.

"Yep." He smirked. He looked at Rory. "Let me know if you need my opinions on any more of your books."

"Oh yeah I'll be sure to let you know if I want you to deface any of my other books." Rory smirked.

"Goodnight Rory." He smirked.

"Goodnight Dodger." She smirked.

"Dodger?" Jess and Charlotte asked at the same time.

"Figure it out." Rory smiled before turning to head home with Charlotte following her.

"Oliver Twist." He suddenly said.

Rory turned round and smiled at him nodding. She then turned back round and continued walking off.

"Goodnight Dodger! Welcome to Stars Hollow!" Charlotte grinned.

"Goodnight Charlotte Gilmore." He smirked.

Charlotte grinned at him before turning round and jogging off to catch up with Rory leaving Jess standing there, watching them walking away, with a small smile on his face.

 **I hope you liked it! Please keep leaving reviews and let me know what you think! I really do appreciate them and love reading them so thank you! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all your support and reviews so far! It really is motivating me! :)**

Chapter 3

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were let inside the Gilmore Mansion by a new maid.

"Oh hi! Are you new?" Lorelai smiled at the maid.

"Uh yes. I started yesterday." The maid said.

"What's your name?" Charlotte smiled.

"Liesl."

"We're here for dinner." Rory explained.

"Oh sorry. Please. Come in." Liesl said letting them in and taking their coats. It was then that the three of them heard raised voices. "Uh can I get you a drink?" She asked.

"It's ok. Why don't you go hide in the kitchen?" Charlotte smirked.

"Really?" Liesl asked. "Thank you." She said hurrying off.

"What's going on?" Rory said.

"I don't know. I think George and Martha are joining us for dinner." Lorelai joked.

"I don't have time to go to your frivolous parties." Richard was saying as they appeared on the stairs.

"Frivolous parties? Frivolous parties?" Emily exclaimed. "Those 'frivolous parties' are very important to me. I'm on the board of the foundations holding these functions. How does it make me look when I don't show up?"

"It will look like your husband is very busy and has lots of responsibilities." He said.

"Well I have responsibilities too!" She exclaimed.

"I'm sure your social engagements are important." He said condescendingly.

"They're not just social engagements." Emily said.

"Anywhere you serve tea is a social engagement." Richard said.

"I can't believe you! That's it, I'm going to get a tape recorder so you can hear how pompous you're sounding." Emily snapped heading back upstairs.

"Maybe we should go?" Rory said quietly.

"No way!" Charlotte said.

"Yeah I was just going to go and get some popcorn." Lorelai joked.

"Mom!" Rory rolled her eyes. "Look, they're obviously in a fight. They might not want us witnessing it."

"Shh! Incoming!" Charlotte whispered.

"Go on, say it again! Say exactly what you said before." Emily said holding the tape recorder out.

"This is ridiculous." Richard said.

"I agree. You are being ridiculous!" Emily snapped following him downstairs.

"Wha...oh..." Richard said finally spotting Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory.

"What?" Emily asked and then spotted them as well and looked embarrassed

"Bravo! Encore, encore!" Lorelai grinned clapping her hands together.

* * *

"It sucks, I know. Just tell me it sucks." Rory said as she was sat at the counter at Luke's watching her mom look over her homework.

"Your homework never sucks." Charlotte said looking round for Luke to order breakfast.

"It's great." Lorelai smiled at Rory.

"No it's not." Rory said.

"It's an A." Lorelai said.

"Mom.."

"A plus actually." She said.

"You have to say that. You're my mom." Rory said.

"Rory."

"Yeah?"

"It's really good." Lorelai said softly.

"Really?" Rory said giving her a small smile.

"Really." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks." Rory said taking it back.

Just then Luke came up to them. "Right, coffee, coffee, coffee..." He said placing three cups infront of them. "Ok what do you want? Eggs, toast, combo?" He asked quickly.

"What's the rush?" Lorelai asked.

Luke sighed. "I'm just swamped today. I was meant to have help..." He said gesturing towards the stairs up to his apartment. "...but I don't. So order now or I'm getting you each an egg white omelette and a side of steamed spinach."

"Pancakes!" Lorelai said quickly.

"French toast!" Rory said just as quickly.

"Eggs!" Charlotte chipped in.

"Thank you." He smirked putting their order in the kitchen.

Charlotte noticed Jess appear from the stairway and watched as Luke went over to him. "Jess, you were meant to be down here...what the hell is that?" Luke asked.

"What?" Jess asked.

"That!" Luke exclaimed gesturing to his shirt.

"That is a shirt." Jess said.

"Change." He said frustrated.

"What?" Jess asked.

"Go upstairs and change your shirt." Luke said.

"I like this shirt." Jess said.

"How the hell can you like that shirt?" Luke exclaimed.

"It brings out my eyes." Jess said sarcastically.

"Ok." Luke said taking a deep breath. "Part of the deal of you living here is that you work here. And part of you working here is wearing proper work attire. So go and change into something that won't scare the hell out of my customers."

"Whatever you say Uncle Luke." He said sarcastically heading back upstairs.

Luke took a deep breath before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Gross shirt." Lorelai said.

"Oh yeah." Rory agreed.

"Good band though." Charlotte said, stifling a smile.

"Oh most definitely." Lorelai nodded.

* * *

"Did we really just agree to that?" Charlotte groaned as she walked up the porch steps to their house with Rory.

"I think we might have done." Rory said.

"Urghh...why did we do that? Mom's going to freak!" Charlotte said.

"I know. But whatever mom says, we're doing this ok?" Rory said.

"Why?" She whined.

"Because! We both saw the look on Grandma's face when we agreed. And she's been so down lately because of her fighting with Grandpa. I think it means a lot to her." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Fine!" She groaned. "But I'm wearing trainers." She warned.

"Grandma won't let you." Rory smirked.

"Oh I'll find a way. I always find a way." Charlotte grinned.

Rory rolled her eyes and followed her sister in.

* * *

After calming their mom down and assuring her they wanted to do the debutante ball and after Lorelai rang their dad to get him to promise to come and give them away, the girls went to Luke's for dinner while Lorelai went to her business class.

"Oh great!" Charlotte groaned as she read over the booklets given to them by their Grandma about the debutante ball.

"What?" Rory asked tucking into her burger.

"It says we need an escort. Where on earth am I going to find an escort?" She exclaimed.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Rory said.

"It's alright for you. You've got a boyfriend who will do anything for you including dressing up in a tux and then you'll have someone to hang out with." Charlotte pointed out. "I will probably be stuck with some snobby rich boy that Grandma picks out for me. My life sucks."

"Yeah but I promised Dean I'd watch BatteBots with him for a month. It came at a price." She pointed out.

"Coffee?" A voice said next to their table.

"Please. I need it. I need the whole jug!" Charlotte exclaimed dramatically holding out her cup to Jess.

"So you're going to a dance?" Jess smirked.

"No, we're coming out." Rory grinned.

"Coming out?" He raised his eyebrows.

"We stupidly told our Grandma we would take part in this stupid debutante ball and I've been regretting it ever since." Charlotte grumbled.

"Why?" He asked.

"Why what?" Charlotte asked.

"Why did you agree to do it if you don't want to?"

"Because miss perfect granddaughter talked me into it." Charlotte said.

"Hey!" Rory exclaimed. "You agreed it meant a lot to Grandma too."

Charlotte sighed. "I know, I know. I just...I didn't know we needed an escort!"

"So, you're like Cinderella huh?" Jess smirked.

"Not in the mood for your jokes right now! Read my face!" Charlotte grumbled.

"Duly noted." He smirked.

"Hang on a minute..." She said suddenly getting an idea looking up at Jess. "You're a guy right?"

"Last time I looked." Jess said.

"What are you doing on Sunday?" She grinned.

"No." He said quickly.

"No what? You don't even know what I'm going to ask." She protested.

"I'm not going to be your escort." He said.

"But you're my only hope!" Charlotte exclaimed melodramatically. "You're the only one that can save me from three hours of boredom and being stuck with a snobby rich boy who doesn't care about anything other than himself!"

"You got yourself into it. You're on your own." Jess said.

"Please Jess?" She begged.

"You seriously think I would want to go after I've listened to you going on about how awful it's going to be? No way. Have fun." He smirked walking away back to the counter.

"I'm screwed!" Charlotte pouted.

"Did you honestly think you could get Jess to come?" Rory laughed.

"No. But he was my last chance." She grumbled pushing her plate away and putting her head on the table.

"Charlie..." Rory said.

"I'm so screwed. I dread to think who Grandma will choose for me." She groaned.

"I'm sure whoever it is, it won't be that bad. Why don't we talk about something else?" Rory suggested.

"Like what?"

"Like are you going to eat your burger?" Rory grinned.

"Urghh be my guest. I'm not hungry anymore." Charlotte mumbled.

"It won't be so bad. Look you can hang out with me and Dean ok? We won't leave you on your own, I promise." Rory said.

She sighed. "I guess." She watched as Rory started to eat her burger before snatching it back. "I'm hungry again." She said as she heard Rory protest.

Rory smirked before glancing at her watch. "Oh I need to get something finished for school. Meet me back at home?" She said.

"Sure. I'll bring some pie as well." Charlotte said.

"Ok! See you in a bit! And remember, it'll be ok." Rory said before leaving the diner.

Charlotte sighed as she finished off her burgers and fries. She was looking out the window, drinking her coffee, when she heard a voice next to her.

"Ok you spend three hours with me at that new bookstore that's opened just outside Stars Hollow and you pay for any books I want to buy and I'll go to this stupid ball with you." Jess grumbled.

"You're serious?" Charlotte asked her face lighting up.

"I only offer once. You mock me for agreeing and the offer's off the table. Do we have a deal or not?" He said.

"You've got a deal!" She grinned.

"Great. I must be crazy." He muttered walking away.

* * *

The following morning, the girls were sat in the living room with Dean and Lane in the living room. Rory was getting Dean to watch Neil Young in a tux to try and persuade him it looks cool. Suddenly a car horn was heard from outside.

"It's dad!" Charlotte smiled getting up rushing outside with Rory following her.

"Whoa, haven't you two learnt that ladies don't run?" Chris joked.

"Sorry. We haven't tamed our wild ways yet!" Charlotte joked, giving her dad a hug.

"We've missed you." Rory smiled hugging him as well.

"I've missed you too." He said. "Hey, I've got you both something." He said going to the boot of the car and getting out the Compact Oxford English Dictionary and an art sketchbook. "I'm sorry I couldn't get these for you the last time I was here. But I promised I would get them for you at some point so here they are."

"Cool!" Rory said excitedly taking the dictionary.

"Thanks!" Charlotte grinned. She was definitely in need of a new sketchbook.

"Sorry Lor, I didn't get you anything." Chris smirked as Lorelai joined them.

"I'll live." Lorelai joked.

"I'm going to start looking up some words!" Rory grinned rushing back to the house.

"This is new." Lorelai commented gesturing to his car.

"Oh yeah. Do you like it?" Chris said.

"You've got a car! It's got four wheels and everything." Lorelai exclaimed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." He joked. "Want to get in?"

"Well I'm not supposed to take rides with strangers." She grinned.

"Hey what about me?" Charlotte said. "Don't I get a ride too?"

"Hop in." He grinned.

"Cool!" She grinned getting into the back. "Hey dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the sketchbook." She smiled.

"You're welcome." He smiled back at her.

* * *

Later that day Rory, Dean, Charlotte and even Jess were at Miss Patty's trying to learn to dance.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Jess grumbled as he struggled with the steps.

"You love it really. I bet you dance around in your room when noone's watching." Charlotte grinned.

"Ok what did I say I would do if you mocked me?" Jess warned.

"I'm sorry. No mocking." Charlotte said trying to keep a straight face.

"Yeah well, you better keep that promise or you can say goodbye to your escort." He said.

"Hey, at least you're doing better than Dean." She whispered gesturing over to Dean and Rory who were struggling even more than them.

"Huh. Guess that is a positive." Jess smirked.

Just then Lorelai and Chris entered with some coffees. "Hey you guys need a break?" Chris smiled.

"Two minutes." Miss Patty said.

"So how's it going?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually I'm not very good." Rory said.

"Which is really holding me back because I'm a natural." Dean said sarcastically.

"I'm rubbish too." Charlotte said.

"You're ok." Jess said.

"What?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I mean, at the beginning you sucked but now at least you're not stepping on my toes anymore." He smirked.

"Why thank you." She said sarcastically.

"And how are you finding it Jess?" Lorelai asked politely.

"It's alright." Jess shrugged.

"Well it's not your fault girls. You just need a strong male lead and then any woman can do it. No offence guys." Chris joked. He pulled Lorelai towards him who stumbled into him.

"Hey!" Lorelai said.

"My mistake." Chris smirked.

"Hey I wasn't ready! I want a do over!" She said.

"Fine. May I have this dance?" Chris smiled holding his hand out to her.

"Oh I don't know. Do you have a trust fund?" She joked. "Always make sure." She told Charlotte and Rory.

Lorelai and Chris then proceeded to glide across the floor dancing flawlessly.

"Wow ok, so we're adopted!" Charlotte joked.

"Yeah, I'm never going to be as good as that." Rory said.

"You will. You just need to keep practising. We'll leave you to it." Chris said.

"We'll meet you at Luke's after you've finished." Lorelai smiled at them and then headed out with Chris.

"So I know Dean..." Chris said as they headed over to Luke's. "But who's the guy with Charlotte?"

"Urgh...Jess..." Lorelai said.

"And I'm guessing you don't like him..." Chris said. "Are him and Charlotte dating?"

"No. At least I don't think they are. Although she does seem pretty chummy with him." Lorelai said.

"Why don't you like him? Should I have a word with him or something? Warn him off Charlotte?" Chris asked seriously.

Lorelai sighed. "No. I just...I don't know. I just don't get good vibes from him. He's bad news, I just know it. But Charlotte seems to like him and if we interfere or say she can't hang out with him, she'd hate us. At the moment, they're not dating. Let's just hope she grows tired of him and stops hanging out with him."

"You know Jess doesn't have to do this for me." A voice said from behind them.

They spun round to find Charlotte there. "Charlotte..." Lorelai said guiltily.

"He didn't have to offer to do this for me. This is his idea of hell but he's offered to do it for me to be nice. Can't you just give him the benefit of the doubt and try to be civil with him?" She said.

"I didn't mean anything..." Lorelai tried.

"Look, I know you don't like Jess. But he's doing something nice for me. So please, can you at least try and get on with him? For me?" She said, before walking off.

"Busted." Chris said.

Lorelai sighed. "I can't believe she heard us." She cringed.

"Should we go talk to her?" Chris asked.

"No. She'll cool down." Lorelai said. "I'll talk to her later. I guess she's right in a way. He didn't have to do this but he offered because Charlotte was dreading it."

"Look I don't know the guy so I'll just follow your lead." Chris said.

Lorelai sighed. "I guess it won't hurt to be civil to him. At until after the ball's over." She admitted.

"Then that's what we'll do." Chris said.

"So...tell me about this new job of yours?" Lorelai asked.

* * *

"Shut up." Charlotte said as she went to sit next to Jess at a table at the side of the dancefloor the following day. Her and Rory had just taken part in the fan dance, the most humiliating thing she had ever done.

"Not saying a word." Jess smirked.

"It's our dance next so you won't be smiling for long." Charlotte glared at him.

"Your trainers made you stand out." Jess smirked.

Charlotte did smirk at that. "Well I didn't want to blend in with the crowd."

"How did your Grandma take it?" He smirked.

"Oh she didn't even notice. She's too busy arguing with my Grandpa." She sighed.

"Wasn't she like totally into this or something?" Jess asked.

"Yeah she was. She was so excited when we agreed but now...well she just seems so miserable. This thing with my Grandpa is really getting her down." Charlotte sighed.

"I think we're up." Jess said seeing Rory and Dean head towards the dancefloor. He held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" He smirked.

"Oh I don't. Do you have a trust fund?" Charlotte grinned.

"Nope, sorry." He smirked.

"Ah well, I guess I should give you a chance anyway." She joked taking his hand.

Jess led her to the dancefloor. "I'm sure your Grandma does appreciate you and Rory doing this for her. It may not seem like it right now but I'm sure she does." He said.

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She said quietly.

"Come on, let's show them how it's done." Jess smirked twirling her out.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte laughed.

"Hey you wanted to stand out. So let's stand out." Jess smirked.

Charlotte grinned and followed his lead.

* * *

"So do you know you're considered a hot dad?" Rory said as the six of them were walking towards Luke's.

"Ha!" Lorelai said.

"Really?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, Libby said it was a shame you were my real dad because if you were my step dad, I could steal you away from mom." Rory grinned.

"Ok ew!" Charlotte shuddered.

"I'm going to get home." Dean told Rory. "Get out of this tux."

"Thanks for doing this for me." Rory smiled giving him a kiss.

"Tomorrow you start paying." He reminded. "See you."

"Bye." Rory smiled.

"Yeah I'm going to go too. Luke wants me to help him close tonight and I will probably have to change because this would probably be too proper for work attire." Jess grumbled sarcastically. "I'll see you around." He said starting to walk off.

"Hey Jess?" Charlotte said rushing after him.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming." She said sincerely. "I...well I actually had fun...so thanks. I do appreciate it."

"Well three hours looking at books and making you pay for however many I want will make it worth it." He smirked.

"Jess..." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"It's cool." He said. "You don't need to thank me."

"I do." She said.

"Ok well I better get going." Jess said gesturing towards the diner.

"Oh right, yeah." Charlotte said. She watched him walk off. "Hey Jess?"

"Geez what?" Jess turned round.

Charlotte grinned at how like Luke he sounded. "How does Friday sound? We've got a teacher training day then so we could go early to the bookstore and then maybe grab some pizza for lunch or something?" She said.

Jess was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yeah ok."

"Ok. Well I'll get saving up then. Knowing you, you'll make me buy like 20 books for you." She joked.

Jess smirked. "See you around." He said.

"Bye." Charlotte smirked watching him walk away.

"Hey!" Rory said catching up with her.

"Oh hey! Where's mom and dad?" She asked looking around.

"Just chatting I think. Dad has to go back to the house to do some work but mom said she'll meet us at Luke's and to order her a burger." She said.

"Cool." Charlotte said. "So did you have a good time tonight?" She asked.

"It wasn't actually as bad as I thought it was going to be." Rory said.

"Yeah I know what you mean." Charlotte said.

"You seemed to be having fun with Jess..." Rory said.

"Oh not you as well!" She groaned.

"No, I like Jess. I think it was nice of him to go with you. I was just saying you looked like you had fun with him." Rory said.

"Yeah...well, he makes me laugh." She shrugged.

"Do you like him?" Rory asked cautiously. Charlotte shot her a look. "I'm just interested, that's all. Isn't this what sisters are meant to talk about?"

Charlotte smirked. "Look I don't know if I like him like that ok? I enjoy hanging out with him and he makes me laugh. I don't even know if he likes me like that."

"Ok." Rory said.

"If there's any update on that, you'll be the first to know ok?" Charlotte said.

Rory grinned. "Ok."

"God you're so like mom sometimes, it's scary!" Charlotte rolled her eyes, as they entered the diner.

A few minutes later, Lorelai found them at a table already halfway through their burgers. "Hey!" She smiled sitting down with them.

"Your burger's coming." Rory said.

"Great thanks!" She smiled. "So how did you find it?" She asked.

"Well the fan dance was humiliating." Rory said.

"Agreed!" Charlotte said.

"But having dad around was nice." Rory smiled.

"Yeah it was." Charlotte agreed. "He's got a girlfriend you know?" She said.

"Yeah I know." Lorelai said.

"He seems happy which is nice, right?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah it is." Lorelai smiled.

"Here you go." Luke said coming up to them and giving Lorelai her burger. "Back from the ball huh?" He asked.

"Yep! I left behind a glass slipper and a business card in case the prince is really dumb." Lorelai joked.

"Good and desperate thinking." Luke said.

"Thanks!" She grinned. She then spotted Jess reappearing. "Um Luke?" She said.

"Yeah?"

"Jess..." She said gesturing to where Jess were cleaning off the counter in one of Luke's flannel shirts and baseball caps.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked going up to him.

"Working." He said.

"So you think this is funny, do you?" He said.

"I'm sorry. I thought this was the uniform." Jess said.

"Ok, you know what, that's fine. Have your little joke, it doesn't bother me at all. You just go over there and clean off that table, ok? I'm ignoring you. You do not exist." Luke said.

"Ok." Jess said going over to the table.

Luke tried to focus on cleaning the counter but he couldn't take it much longer. "That's it, get upstairs and change."

"Whatever you say Uncle Luke." Jess smirked, glancing over at Charlotte who was trying to stifle a laugh, giving her a wink before he disappeared behind the curtain.

"It's Luke, just Luke. Mr Luke. In fact, don't address me at all." Luke shouted up the stairs.

Charlotte took her gaze back to her mom and Rory, the latter giving her a knowing smirk. "Shut up." She muttered but couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face and she continued eating her burger.

 **I hope you liked it! Please keep your reviews coming as I really love reading what you think! :) I really do appreciate all your support so thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for all your support so far. It really means a lot! :)**

Chapter 4

"He's miserable there. The amenities are lacking atrociously. He had to eat at a coffee shop last night. The whole thing's terribly insulting." Emily was saying at Friday Night Dinner.

"I hate that he's miserable." Rory said.

"So do I. We really ought to do something." Emily said.

"Warning, warning!" Lorelai said.

"Like what?" Charlotte asked.

"Well I'm glad you asked, Charlotte, because I have thought of a wonderful way to cheer him up." Emily said.

"Cool, how?" Rory asked.

"Danger, Will Robinson, danger!" Lorelai said.

"An oil painting." Emily smiled.

"An oil painting?" Charlotte asked hesitantly.

"I tried, have fun." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, an oil painting of the both of you to hang over his mantle." Emily said excitedly. "He'd love it."

"Well I guess it would be ok." Rory said.

"Really?" Charlotte asked glancing at her sister.

"Come on, it's for Grandpa." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Fine." She said.

"Oh great!" Emily smiled.

"Mom, please don't make them do this." Lorelai said.

"They just said they would."

"Fine but don't make them sit for it. Do it from a photo." Lorelai said.

"A photo?" Emily exclaimed aghast. "That's what they do at malls!"

"It's fine. We'll sit." Rory said.

"Just because your experience of sitting for a portrait was bad doesn't mean Rory and Charlotte's has to be." Emily said.

"What portrait?" Charlotte asked. "And why haven't we seen this?"

"They never finished." Lorelai grinned.

"Why?" Rory asked.

"Three painters started but all three quit." Emily said.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"She wouldn't stop scowling." Emily said.

"I was going for the Billy Idol thing." Lorelai grinned.

"Maybe I'll try that!" Charlotte grinned.

"You will not, young lady." Emily scolded.

"Well, it was worth a try." Charlotte shrugged.

* * *

"So, the first thing you and Sookie would do is incorporate." Luke told Lorelai as they were sat at a table at Luke's.

"Wow. Sounds big." Lorelai said.

"Not really. It just means you're a single business entity. You'll both be officers and shareholders, and you'll even get to make up a name for your company and everything which I know you'll love doing." He smirked.

"Oh I'm terrible at coming up with names. When we first bought out house, Rory, Charlotte and I wanted to name it but all we could come up with was the Crap Shack. Hence why our house is called the Crap Shack!" Lorelai grinned.

"Nice." Luke chuckled.

Jess walked over with the coffee jug. "Coffee?" He asked bored.

"Oh yeah, thanks." She said. "How are you Jess?" She asked politely.

"Well, I'm not bleeding or anything." Jess said.

"Well, then it's gonna be a good day, huh?" Lorelai smiled sweetly.

Jess just raised his eyebrows and looked at Luke pointedly. "It's 7:45." He said.

"So?" Luke said.

"So do you want me to go to school or do you want to openly defy child labour laws?" Jess said sarcastically.

"Go. Stay out of trouble." Luke said.

"Guess that means calling off the chickie run down at the salt flax." He said dryly.

"Out!" Luke sighed and watched Jess leave, shaking his head.

"Wow, so much love." Lorelai said sarcastically, still not quite understanding why Luke was bothering with Jess.

"So have you found a site for the inn yet?" Luke asked changing the subject.

* * *

"What's happening down there?" Rory said as she walked down the road towards Doose's with Charlotte and Lane. "Hey." Rory said as they walked up to Dean who was stood at the front.

"Hey." He said.

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't know. I just got here and found this. I told him that it looked fake, but he didn't believe me." Dean said.

" Aw and you have such an honest face!" Rory grinned.

"Well, he must not love me as much as you do." Dean joked.

"Ok, you two are officially sickening." Lane joked. "See you guys."

"Wish I could come with you!" Charlotte joked.

A policewoman walked up to Taylor. "Everyone's accounted for Taylor. It looks like this is just some elaborate prank." She said.

"But it looks so real. Where would they get the police tape?" Taylor exclaimed.

"Kids have their ways, Taylor." She said.

"Who would be wicked enough to pull a stupid prank like this?" He exclaimed frustrated.

"I don't know. See you Taylor." She said walking off.

Charlotte saw Jess standing across the street smirking as he watched the crowd. She smirked and nudged Rory. "I bet I know who it was." She grinned, gesturing over to Jess.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were in the kitchen at the inn helping their mom take stock.

"I had a dream last night about us and Fran." Sookie was saying.

"Really, what about?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, we were all in the future and we were all old. Me, you, Rory, Charlotte, Jackson. But guess who looked exactly the same?!" She exclaimed.

"Let me guess. Fran?" Lorelai said.

"Yep! That woman is going to live forever!" She exclaimed.

"Ugh! That's so not fair!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Wait, did you look up angina? I forgot to."

"Yeah, it's nothing major." Sookie sighed.

"Ok you guys have got to stop talking like this!" Charlotte said shaking her head.

"Like what?" Lorelai said.

"She's right! We love Fran, remember? Fran is great." Rory said.

"Oh of course honey, of course we love Fran. We just want to know what God's little plan is for her, that's all." Sookie said.

Charlotte and Rory exchanged amused glances and just shook their heads. Just then Michel came in. "I would advise that you at least pretend to look busy, the boss is here." He said bored.

"Oh my god, Mia!" Rory exclaimed, her and Charlotte's face lighting up.

"You're kidding! When?" Lorelai grinned.

"I just spotted her walking in." Michel said.

"Let's go!" Lorelai grinned grabbing one of Charlotte's and Rory's hands and leading them out to the reception area.

"Mia!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Oh my babies! I've missed you!" Mia smiled hugging them all.

"Did we know you were coming?" Rory asked.

"I didn't know I was coming." Mia joked.

"Oh no, this isn't a surprise inspection is it?" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"Oh yes, that's exactly what this is." Mia nodded seriously. "Ready?" She asked as the three of them got in a line and she walked around them. "You're too thin as always." She commented.

"But we eat." Rory exclaimed.

"Excessively!" Charlotte nodded.

"And you're all too beautiful." Mia said.

"Oh yes, that's true." Lorelai grinned. "We often feel guilty about that." She joked.

"And I don't see you enough which is my fault, so you all pass." Mia beamed.

"Yes!" Charlotte grinned giving Rory a high five.

Michel then walked over to them and gave Mia a charming smile.

"Oh Michel, it's so nice to see you as well! And look at that suit! You are quite handsome, aren't you?" She grinned.

"Well I had a feeling that a lovely woman was going to be visiting today so I decided I must look my best for her." Michel smiled.

"Oh I'm sorry honey, I didn't catch a word of that." Mia said, her eyes twinkling.

"He said he missed you." Rory said.

"You've been in America for quite some time Michel. Your enunciation really should be better by now." She said, trying to be serious.

"The customers seem to understand me just fine." Michel forced a smile.

"I didn't get that either. Did you get the tapes I sent you?" Mia said.

"Maybe you should man the desk, Michel. A couple of people were looking for help." Lorelai grinned.

"Oh of course." He said sarcastically and went behind the desk.

"So, are you three too busy to sneak out with me for a bit?" Mia asked them.

"Only if it's okay with the boss." Charlotte joked.

"Oh it's a demand." Mia nodded.

"Let's go!" Lorelai smiled. She turned to Michel. "Michel, hold the fort?"

"It's slow now, so no problem." He said sarcastically.

"Michel! He said that he's never liked you and that you're a problem." Rory exclaimed.

"I said no such thing!" Michel exclaimed aghast.

"I really don't know where this hostility comes from, Michel. Can we work this out?" She asked, her eyes twinkling.

"There's nothing to work out." He said sweetly.

"He told you to get out!" Charlotte grinned.

"I did not!" Michel exclaimed glaring at Rory and Charlotte.

"Oh my! I don't know what I did to make him hate me so much." Mia sighed as she linked arms with the girls and walked out with them, Charlotte and Rory grinning at Michel as they did.

* * *

The four of them walked into Luke's where Luke was at the counter trying to fix his toaster.

"Oh look at this place, it's exactly the same!" Mia gushed.

"Actually, I made him paint it a few months ago." Lorelai said.

"Good for you." Mia smiled. She beamed as Luke looked up and walked over to them. "Oh Lucas, it's so great to see you!" She said fondly, giving him a hug.

"You too, Mia!" He smiled, reciprocating her hug. "And you're the only one who can call me Lucas, you know." He said.

"Oh I do." She nodded.

"I'm saying it for others who plan to try it later." He said giving Lorelai and Charlotte a look.

"Whatever Lucas." Lorelai grinned.

"Mia, you don't happen to know anything about toasters, do you?" He asked.

"Not a damn thing." She said.

"Well, then sit down and let me get you some coffee." He smiled.

"Coffee for us too please!" Lorelai grinned as Luke returned to the counter. "So, Mia, how's Santa Barbara?" She asked.

"Horrible. Did you know the damn sun shines all the time there?" She joked.

"Oh they've written songs about that." Charlotte nodded.

"Well, no one told me!" She exclaimed. "Half of my wardrobe is not practical!"

"Aw, that sucks." Lorelai said with mock sympathy. "Hey, you know that vintagey blue coat?" She started.

"You're not getting it." Mia smiled sweetly.

"Damn!" Lorelai said.

Jess walked up to Luke who was trying to fix the toaster again. "You're making that worse." He commented.

"Yeah big help, thanks." Luke said dryly.

"That's Luke's nephew." Lorelai told Mia.

"Jess." Charlotte added.

"Luke, that's your nephew?" Mia called over to him.

"Yeah it's Liz's kid." Luke said bringing over their coffees. "Jess, this is Mia, she owns the Independence Inn." He said calling him over and introducing them.

"Huh." He nodded.

Luke rolled his eyes. "That's 'Hello, nice to meet you' in slacker." He said.

"You don't need me down here, do you?" Jess said before turning to leave.

"Wait up!" Charlotte said getting up and following him. "You promised me that CD." She grinned.

"Huh, so I did. Come on up." Jess smirked.

"Cool!" Charlotte grinned following him upstairs.

"I'm sorry Mia. He's just…" Luke said not really knowing how to describe Jess.

"Antisocial, sarcastic, would rather be anywhere else but here?" Lorelai offered.

"Mom..." Rory warned, glad Charlotte wasn't there to hear their mom's description of Jess.

"Oh forget it." Mia smiled. "You weren't exactly a talkative boy yourself when you were his age." She said.

"Oh that's right, you knew Luke as a boy!" Lorelai said excitedly.

"I can't imagine Luke as a boy." Rory grinned.

"Can we change the subject?" Luke said uncomfortably.

"He would help people carry groceries home." Mia smiled.

"Aw, how very Boy Scout-y of you." Rory grinned.

"For a quarter a bag." Mia smirked.

"How very John Birch Society-y of you." Lorelai smirked.

"He was never without his skateboard for a time either." Mia carried on.

"Were you any good?" Lorelai asked interested.

"I could hold my own." Luke smirked.

"And then there was that year that you would wear the same shirt everywhere you went." Mia said.

"I don't remember that." Luke said quickly.

"Oh that must have been something flannel." Lorelai said.

"No, it was from that tv show, the famous one." Mia said trying to remember.

"It's not important." Luke said trying to change the subject.

"Oh Star Trek, that's what it was!" Mia exclaimed, causing Lorelai and Rory to laugh.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Lorelai grinned, jumping up and down in her chair.

"What did I miss?" Charlotte asked rejoining them at the table having acquired the cd from Jess.

"Luke used to wear a Star Trek shirt." Rory grinned.

"Ah geez!" Luke groaned.

"You were a Trekkie?" Charlotte laughed.

"I was not a Trekkie." He grumbled.

"Sure." Lorelai said not believing him. "I do believe that denying you were a Trekkie is a violation of the prime directive." She mocked.

"Indubitably captain!" Charlotte and Rory nodded in unison.

"Look it was a gift from my aunt ok? I wore it to make her happy." Luke said.

"I've never wanted to make any aunt of mine that happy." Lorelai joked.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Mia said innocently.

"Oh no Mia, that's ok. I just have to cancel everything I have scheduled for the next three months so that I can laugh my ass off about this!" Lorelai grinned.

At that moment, Taylor walked into the diner and for once, Luke was happy about the interruption. "Luke, I need to talk to you." He said.

"What is it Taylor?" Luke asked, now resenting his interruption.

"I have conducted a thorough investigation of all the people who may have been witness to the phony murder at my store last night." He said formally.

"Goodie." Luke said sarcastically.

"There was a phony murder?" Mia asked.

"Oh yeah, the town's too dull to work up a real murder." Lorelai joked.

"But you're one 'beam me up Scotty' reference away from being the victim of one." Charlotte smirked.

"Mmm.." Lorelai agreed.

"Luke, are you listening to me?" Taylor exclaimed.

"Unfortunately. What's it got to do with me?" He said gruffly.

"Three people have reported seeing Jess in that area late last night, skulking, lurking." He said.

"There were a lot of people out late last night. I know because I fed some of them. I'll give you their names so you can add them to your suspect list." Luke said getting annoyed.

"Another person witnessed Jess walking out of an arts and crafts store two days ago with what appeared to be chalk." Taylor continued.

"How do you know that wasn't to draw with?" Charlotte chipped in.

"Oh he drew with it alright. He drew the outline outside my shop." Taylor said.

"You appear to be bugging me Taylor." Luke warned.

"What are you going do about it Luke?" Taylor continued undeterred.

"About what?" He exclaimed.

"About the results of my investigation!"

"Absolutely nothing, but thanks for the info." Luke said.

"You have to do something. People want action!" Taylor exclaimed.

"People, meaning you." Luke pointed out.

"Not just me. I speak for the Stars Hollow Business Association, the Stars Hollow Tourist Board, the Stars Hollow Neighborhood Watch Organization, and the Stars Hollow Citizens for a Clean Stars Hollow Council." He listed.

"All of which are you!" Luke exclaimed exasperated.

"So are you going to act?"

"Yes I am. I'm going to act like you never came in here." Luke said.

"Fine, but I warn you, there's gonna be a lot of unhappy people!" Taylor said.

"I look forward to it." Luke said gruffly.

"Oh, you're impossible! Impossible!" He exclaimed turning to leave until he saw Mia. "Oh, hi Mia." He said a bit calmer.

"Nice to see you Taylor." Mia smirked watching him leave. She then turned back to the others. "I really have to get out of Santa Barbara. I miss the small town theatre." She joked. "And I miss you." She said sincerely. "Hey, do you realize it was fifteen years ago almost to the day?" She told Lorelai.

"Yeah it was." Lorelai smiled.

"What was?" Rory asked.

"Fifteen years to the day since this skinny little teenage girl showed up at the inn. She had these two tiny little things in her arms." Mia smiled.

"The littles things called Rory and Charlotte." She grinned pinching their cheeks.

"God, no physical reenactments please!" Charlotte exclaimed pushing her mom's hands away.

"You marched up to me, looked me right in the eye and said, 'I'm here for a job. Any job.'" Mia smiled. "Work experience none, recommendations none, skills..." She said.

"Besides flawlessly applying mascara in a moving car, none." Lorelai joked.

"I didn't have a single thing to recommend hiring her. Just the who cares look in her eyes...so I gave her any job. The other maids hated you." Mia laughed.

"Well they were all so slow." Lorelai grinned.

"You were special." Mia smiled fondly at Lorelai.

"Mia, why don't you move back here? We miss you." Charlotte said.

"Or at least visit more? You used to check in. You never come at all anymore." Lorelai whined.

"I don't have to. You've made me redundant." She joked.

"I have not." Lorelai said uneasily.

"Don't be humble. The inn is covered. Beyond covered in fact. It's never been run this well or been this successful. It's like your place now. Without you, I wouldn't know what to do. I'd be lost." Mia said.

"Oh lost, yeah." Lorelai said quietly, glancing at her daughters who also looked sad.

"Why do you look so sad?" Mia asked worried.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Lorelai said forcing a smile on her face. "Nothing." She repeated.

* * *

"Urgh how could I not think about telling Mia?" Lorelai exclaimed. "I'm such a horrible person!"

"No you're not." Sookie assured her.

"I should have told her! I should have told her the day we came up with this idea. She deserved that." Lorelai sighed. Her cellphone suddenly rang in her pocket so she brought it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Lorelai, good! Your daughters are being impossible." Emily grumbled. "They won't pose in an appropriate manner."

"We're trying, Grandma. It's just awkward." Rory said.

"Very awkward!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Let me guess, they're wearing a silly gown on a silly grown with their hands raised in a silly way." Lorelai said.

"No just one of their hands are raised and none of it is silly." Emily said stiffly.

"Pick a simpler pose mom." Lorelai sighed.

"This was the simplest pose! And it wasn't my choice." She said petulantly.

"And your choice was...?"

"For the swans to sit regally on their thrones." Emily said.

"Swans? Thrones?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Oh now you have a problem with swans and thrones." Emily said.

"Just make a change mom." She sighed.

"I suppose you would have Rory just sit in a chair reading a book and Charlotte with her sketchbook." Emily mocked.

"Yes actually. That's a great idea." Lorelai said.

"Oh please be serious Lorelai!" Emily exclaimed.

"I am! Those are the most natural poses for Charlotte and Rory and I know dad would love them." Lorelai said.

Emily huffed but relented. "Well I suppose it could work." She said.

"Good. And mom?"

"Yes?"

"Let them lower their arms." Lorelai said.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked down the street with Mia towards Miss Patty's for the town meeting.

"We're late." Rory complained.

"We're not late." Lorelai said.

"The last time we were late, Taylor said that there would be consequences." Rory pointed out.

"He didn't. He said there would be severe consequences." Lorelai grinned.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Mia, what time is it? Are we late?" She asked hoping to bring an end to the argument.

"Oh I hope so." Mia grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"Mia!" Lorelai laughed.

"I'm sorry, but it's been two years since I've been able to come to a town meeting and I want some controversy." She joked.

Lorelai saw Luke in front of the diner, locking up. "Aha!" She exclaimed, making him jump.

"Geez! Don't sneak up on me like that!" He exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I was lucky you had your phasers on stun, huh?" She joked.

"Well, at least we're not late. Luke's never late." Rory said satisfied.

"Actually, we're 2 minutes early." Luke told her.

"Ha! We should get a prize for being on time." Charlotte grinned.

"Hey Luke, let's go back to the diner and get some pie as our reward for being on time!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Then we would be late." He said.

"Funny." She said. "But I want pie." She pouted.

"You're harassing me now." Luke grumbled.

"I'm not harassing you! We're your groupies." She grinned. "Oh Luke, you're so dreamy, be my guy!" She said in a high voice.

"No, be my guy!" Rory joined in.

"No he's my guy!" Charlotte grinned.

"I'm bringing up the need for more police protection at this thing." He grumbled as they walked into Miss Patty's.

They stopped when they realised the town meeting had already started. "I think we're late." Mia commented.

"What's going on?" Luke demanded.

"Uh, nothing." Taylor said guiltily.

"The meeting was supposed to start at eight Taylor. It's a minute to eight." Luke said.

"Well..." Taylor said.

"Oh you might as well be honest with him Taylor." Miss Patty said.

"Honest with him about what?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, if you must know, there was a special issue that the business community had to deal with first. So we decided to start early tonight." Taylor said.

"I'm in the business community and I wasn't told about it!" Luke exclaimed. "What's going on, Taylor?" He asked frustrated.

"Alright, fine. You weren't invited, Luke." Taylor said.

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Ooh controversy." Mia whispered to Rory and Charlotte.

"You weren't invited because we are dealing with the Jess situation." Taylor said imperiously.

"The Jess situation?" Luke said not believing what he was hearing.

"Uh oh." Rory said as Lorelai led them to some seats at the back. She glanced at Charlotte who wasn't looking very happy.

"Damnit Taylor!" Luke exclaimed.

"Luke, honey, calm down." Miss Patty tried to say.

"After all, this is all your doing." Taylor said pompously. "If you hadn't dismissed the issue earlier, we wouldn't have had to do this. I lost business because of what your hooligan nephew did."

"How was business lost, Taylor? If you had to open a little late that day, your customers just came back later." Luke shouted angrily.

"Wrong!" Taylor said. "When Mrs. Lanahan couldn't buy her lettuce that morning for her lunch, she drove straight to Woodbury to buy lettuce from a competing market. I was out of business! Word on the street is that she was telling other Doose market shoppers that Woodbury lettuce is crisper and to go and shop there."

"Ok fine. How much is a head of lettuce, a buck?" Luke said storming down to where Taylor was standing. "Actually let's go crazy, give me five heads."

"This goes well beyond a head of lettuce, young man." Taylor said superciliously. "The charges against your nephew are numerous. He stole the 'save the bridge' money."

"Hey, he paid that back!" Charlotte shouted out.

"He stole a gnome from Babette's garden." Taylor continued ignoring Charlotte.

"Pierpont was also returned." Luke said gritting his teeth.

"He hooted one of my dance classes." Miss Patty joined in.

"He took a garden hose from my yard." Fran said.

"My son said he set off the fire alarms at school last week." Another person chipped in.

"I heard he controls the weather and wrote the screenplay to Glitter as well." Lorelai called out. As much as she didn't like Jess, this was a bit overboard.

"I think it's time for me to pipe up here." Bootsy said.

"Oh yeah, that'll be good." Luke grumbled.

"I have every right to pipe in here Luke. I'm a local businessman." Bootsy pointed out.

"You took over your father's newsstand Bootsy. It doesn't make you an entrepreneur." Luke said sarcastically.

"And you took over your old man's hardware store." Bootsy said.

"And turned it into a diner!"

"Big whoop. Who can't fry an egg?"

"Ok let's keep this moving please boys." Taylor interrupted. "The bottom line here is that there is a consensus amongst all townspeople who are in agreement that Stars Hollow was a better place before Jess got here."

"This is unbelievable!" Luke exclaimed. "So you saying he should get banished?"

"Well..." Taylor said.

"Look, I've lived in this town my entire life, longer than most everybody here." Luke ranted angrily. "I've never bothered anyone. I've kept to myself and I've done the best I could. I pay my taxes and I help people when I can. Sure I haven't pitched in on the insane town stuff because it it is just that! Insane! But I don't get in the way of that stuff either."

"What's your point, Luke?" Taylor asked getting bored.

"His point is that this sucks what you're doing!" Charlotte suddenly exclaimed standing up, not being able to hold it in anymore. "Sure, Jess isn't the perfect person. But who is? You should at least give Luke the time and the respect to deal with it before you storm the diner with torches and pitchforks!" She said angrily before storming out.

"I'm done here. I'm done with all of you. Oh and I was going to stay open later in case anyone wanted to eat after the meeting but forget that!" Luke said angrily before storming out just like Charlotte.

"His turkey burgers are very dry anyway." Bootsy chipped in again.

* * *

Lorelai, Rory and Mia all walked out of the town meeting together.

"Well, I must say that was quite exciting." Mia commented.

"A little disturbing. I think the whole town needs a field trip." Lorelai laughed shaking her head.

"Do you think Luke's okay?" Rory asked.

"I think he will be. He just needs to cool off a little." Lorelai said.

"Ok. I'm going to see if I can find Charlotte and then I'm going to check on Dean. He's been scraping that outline off the cement for two days now." Rory said.

"Good idea. Tell Charlotte to take no notice of Taylor." Lorelai said. "And try not to distract Dean too much." She smirked.

Rory rolled her eyes. "She's all yours Mia."

"I'll take her." Mia laughed. "I am having the most wonderful time. And I am so proud of you, Rory and Charlotte. You all have just come so far. Talking of whom, is Charlotte ok? She seemed upset."

"Oh yeah, she just..well she's formed a bit of an attachment to the bad boy of this town." Lorelai said.

"Jess?" Mia asked surprised.

"Yeah." Lorelai sighed.

"You don't seem very happy about it." Mia said cautiously.

"I'm not extremely but...oh it doesn't matter." Lorelai waved it off. She glanced up at Mia. "Uh Mia?"

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you about something." She said nervously.

"Of course. What is it?" Mia asked.

* * *

Rory found Charlotte sat on the bridge staring out at the water. She walked up to her and sat down next to her. "Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." Charlotte said sullenly.

"So that was quite a show you put on back there." Rory said.

"Well it sucked what they were doing. Ganging up on Luke. He didn't deserve that." Charlotte mumbled.

"No he didn't. And Jess didn't either." Rory said.

"I don't care less about Jess." Charlotte grumbled.

"I think you do." Rory smirked a little.

"I don't! He's brought this on himself. If the town want to banish him then fine! I couldn't care less." She snapped.

"Charlie..." Rory said softly.

"No don't Rory! I'm too mad right now. I just...I want to be by myself." She said.

"I don't want to leave you like this." Rory said.

"I'm fine." Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlie..." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Ok I'm not. But I do want to be by myself right now. No offence." She said.

Rory laughed. "None taken. Ok, I'll go find Dean." She said getting up. "Look, if it means so much to you, why don't you talk to Jess?"

Charlotte gave her a look.

"I get it. You're mad right now an you have the right to be. But...you never know, he might just listen to you." Rory shrugged. "I'll see you at home." She said softly before walking off, leaving Charlotte to stare out over the water.

* * *

"Urghh!" Lorelai exclaimed as she walked into the house the following day after an awful day at work.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked looking up from the couch.

"Nothing." Lorelai brushed it off.

"Doesn't look it." Charlotte said.

"I just had an argument with Sookie, that's all." She said.

"Well I'm sure you'll make up." Charlotte reassured her.

"I'm not so sure." Lorelai snapped.

"Ok..." Charlotte frowned. "No need to take it out on me." She said annoyed, still frustrated by the whole Jess situation.

"I'm not in the mood for this right now." Lorelai warned.

"Well me neither! I haven't exactly had the best day either!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, poor you!" Lorelai snapped. "You know, maybe it is best if Jess gets banished because then at least you won't act like him!"

Charlotte scoffed and stood up. "You know what, screw you! You have no right to tell me who I can be friends with!"

"I can if they're bad news! And trust me, Jess is bad news!" Lorelai shouted.

"I'm not talking to you like this! I'm going out!" Charlotte shouted, storming out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She walked into town just wanting to get away from her mom. She saw Rory and Dean head into Doose's so she decided to wait outside for them.

" Hey, should you be standing here all alone? I hear this is a pretty dangerous corner." Jess smirked coming up to her.

"I'm fine." Charlotte scowled. She so wasn't in the mood for Jess right now.

"Feeling succinct today?" Jess asked.

"Pretty much." She said.

"Hmm...did I do something to offend you?" He asked.

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"No." She lied.

"Good." He said.

"You might want to ask that same question to Luke though." Charlotte said pointedly.

"Meaning?" Jess said.

"You've got this whole town down on him." She exclaimed.

"Huh really? How did I do that?" He said.

"You know how you did that." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm not really familiar with the crazy laws in this town, so you can be talking about a lot of things." He smirked. "Dropping a gum wrapper, strolling arm in arm with a member of the opposite sex on a Sunday?"

Charlotte glared at him and gestured to the faint chalk outline on the pavement below them.

"Huh. What about it?" He said.

"You did it!" She exclaimed. "The whole town knows you did it. They had a meeting about it!"

"You actually went to that bizarro town meeting? Those things are so 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Jess smirked.

"Yes, I went. And Luke went. And when he got there, everyone ganged up on him! They all want you gone!" Charlotte exclaimed getting worked up at his nonchalant attitude.

"Wow, bummer." He said sarcastically.

"And he's standing there yelling at everyone and defending you and I was defending you and Luke was paying Taylor back for his lettuce losses!"

"Wait, his what?" Jess said confused.

"And now Luke's a pariah and it's all because of you!" She exclaimed angrily. She waited for him to say anything. "What a shock, you don't care about any of this." She snapped.

"I didn't say that." He said.

"You didn't need to. Go, I'm tired of talking to you." Charlotte scowled at him.

"Fine." He said starting away.

"You care nothing about Luke and his feelings!" Charlotte called after him.

"Got a second wind, huh?" He smirked walking back over to her.

"You know, all he does is stick up for you and all you do is make his life harder. And also, I thought we were friends also?" She exclaimed getting into full rant mode. "I've defended you numerous times to my mom and now I've defended you to the whole town and you don't care less! They're threatening to banish you and you know what? Maybe that would be best! You obviously don't care about anything!" She shouted. "But you know what? It doesn't matter how I feel but what you're doing to Luke stinks! Luke has done a lot for my mom and a lot for me and Rory, and I don't like to see him attacked." She snapped. "Now get lost!"

"I didn't know they were coming down so hard on him." Jess said almost sincerely.

"Funny, I never pegged you as clueless. My mistake." Charlotte said dryly. At that moment, Rory and Dean emerged from Doose's "I'd say see you around but to be honest, right now I couldn't care less whether I see you ever again." She snapped. "Come on, let's go." She told Rory, leaving Jess watching them thinking.

"Are you ok?" Rory asked glancing back at Jess.

"I'm fine." Charlotte grumbled. "Just said some things he had to hear."

"Ok." Rory said dropping it. "You want to go get some food?" She asked.

Charlotte smiled at her sister. "Yeah food would be good right now." She said softly.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked up to the front door of the Gilmore Mansion.

"I wonder if Grandpa's still in Akron?" Rory said.

"Well for Akron's sake, I hope he's moved on to Boise." Lorelai said. She rang the doorbell and the maid answered. "Hi. We're the daughter and the granddaughter." Lorelai said handing the maid her coat.

"You are majorly crabby." Rory commented.

"And judgemental." Charlotte muttered. She still hadn't made up with her mom.

"I just have a headache." Lorelai mumbled. She had wanted to make up and apologise to Charlotte but Charlotte didn't give her the chance earlier.

"Oh Good! Come in! It's all done, and it's great!" Emily smiled excitedly. They walked into the study and Emily showed them Rory and Charlotte's portraits. "Tada!"

"Whoa." Rory said.

"What do you think?" Emily beamed.

"It's freaky." Charlotte laughed.

"Freaky?" Emily said downhearted.

"Well, just seeing us here, up on the wall like that. It's uh...I like it though. It's good I guess and I'm sure Grandpa will love it. Charlotte and I should probably take ourselves out of the judging process though." Rory said.

"I think Richard's just going love it." Emily smiled. "It's the perfect thing, don't you think?" She asked Lorelai.

"Mmm..." Lorelai said.

"You've got to admit, it's turned out better than you thought it would." Emily said.

"Yeah." Lorelai said.

"Well, come on, say a little more than that." Emily said annoyed.

"It's great Mom. It's fabulous. It's just a notch below Rembrandt." Lorelai said with forced enthusiasm.

"Well, you don't have to take that attitude." Emily said hurt.

"What do you want from me, mom? I would light up some sparklers and jump up and down yelling but I'm out of sparklers and my feet hurt too much to jump. But I promise next week when I have more energy, I'll write a love song for the chandelier." She said sarcastically.

Emily stared at her and then left the room without another word.

"Way to go." Charlotte said.

"Mom..." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed and left the room following her mother.

A few minutes later, Lorelai and Emily returned to the girls having obviously settled their argument. "Hey Charlie, can I have a quick word?" She asked Charlotte before they headed into the dining room.

"It's time for dinner." Charlotte said stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Lorelai sighed. "I'm sorry ok? I was worked up and upset yesterday and I didn't mean to take it out on you." She said. "I didn't mean what I said."

"Yes you did." Charlotte said but unfolded her arms.

"Ok maybe I did. Maybe Jess isn't my most favourite person but he's your friend. And I respect your judgement. If you say there's some good in him, then I believe you." Lorelai said.

"Really?" Charlotte said.

"Yes. Really." Lorelai said. "I really am sorry."

"It's fine." Charlotte sighed. "I'm not that keen on Jess right now anyway."

"Come on, let's go eat." Lorelai said putting her arm round her shoulders.

"Yeah." Charlotte said softly, smiling up at her mom. "You're going to make up with Sookie aren't you?"

"Oh I definitely intend to. I'm going to grovel for America." Lorelai joked.

"Good!" Charlotte laughed.

* * *

"Oh man, it's such a relief to have that Sookie thing fixed." Lorelai said as she was sat at a table at Luke's with Rory and Charlotte.

"I know. I hate fighting with friends." Rory said.

"It does suck." Charlotte sighed glancing up as Jess appeared from behind the curtain.

"Luke, where's our toast?" Lorelai called over to the counter.

"Sorry it's going to take a while." He said. "My big toaster's broken so I got stuck with just this tiny one."

Jess went over and pushed down the handle on the big toaster, showing Luke that it worked.

"How did that happen?" Luke asked surprised, pushing the handle up and down.

"You're going to break it." Jess said.

"It was broken before!" He said.

"Well it must have got better." Jess said.

"Inanimate objects don't usually get better. Jess, did you fix this?" Luke asked.

"Please." Jess scoffed.

"Jess..." Luke said.

"I have no idea what you're babbling about. I don't fix things." He said.

"But yesterday…" Luke started.

"I've got school." Jess said ending the conversation and heading for the door. He glanced over at Charlotte who had been watching the exchange. He gave her a small smile which she returned and then he left.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte was heading to the bridge to do some sketching. She was surprised to find Jess sat on it. She hesitated before walking slowly over to him. "Hey." She said.

Jess looked up at her. "Hey." He replied.

"This seat taken?" She asked gesturing to the space next to him.

"Be my guest." He said.

Charlotte sat down next to him and they were quiet for a moment. She glanced over at him. "I'm glad you listened to me. What you did for Luke was really sweet." She said.

"Who said I listened to you? Or did that for Luke? I was bored and had nothing to do so I fixed it." Jess shrugged.

Charlotte frowned. "That's not true." She said. "I don't believe you."

"Your prerogative." He shrugged.

"You know what, I was going to apologise for shouting at you yesterday. But you deserved it! You can never be honest, can you? Is it so hard for you to admit that you did something to be nice?" Charlotte snapped. "Maybe my mom was right. Maybe the town was right! Maybe it would be better if you weren't here!" She exclaimed angrily, embarrassed as she felt tears prick her eyes. She furiously wiped them away and got up, walking away so he wouldn't see.

"Charlotte wait!" She was surprised to hear Jess jump up and run after her.

"What?" She snapped turning round. "I've gone out of my way to be nice to you. I actually like you and I thought you liked me too. I thought we were friends. I guess that was my mistake." She said.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"You're right ok? I fixed the toaster for Luke. I was listening to you yesterday and I felt bad the town was coming down hard on him so I fixed the toaster to try and make it up to him." Jess admitted.

"Ok.." She said.

"And we are friends." He said. He sighed. "Look, I'm not very good at this emotions stuff. I've sort of had to fend for myself before so I'm not used to people being in my corner, having my back."

"I like you." Charlotte admitted. "Maybe more than friends ok? That's why I got so mad yesterday. I was scared the town was going to send you away and I wouldn't get to see you again. And you didn't seem to care less so I just got mad." She said.

"Huh." He smirked.

She immediately felt embarrassed. "Just forget it, I shouldn't have told you that." She said. "I should go..." She said walking away.

"Charlotte wait!" Jess said running after her again.

Charlotte sighed and turned round, suddenly feeling angry. "Look Jess, I'm sick of you playing these games with me. I'm sick of sticking up for you when I don't even know if you even care." She said.

"I care." He said.

"Funny way of showing it." Charlotte muttered.

"What about showing you like this?" He said before pulling her towards him and leaning in to kiss her.

They pulled away after a moment and both of them just stared at each other not really knowing what to do.

"So..uh..did you at least find the chalk outline prank funny?" He smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "Oh yeah." She nodded.

Jess smirked. "I knew you did." He said before bringing her into another kiss.

 **So I hope you liked it! This is possibly the longest chapter I've ever written so please let me know what you think! Thank you! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for all your support so far! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 5

Lorelai walked through the front door to the Crap Shack the next morning. "I'm back!" She called.

"We're in the kitchen!" Charlotte called.

"Ok! So I couldn't make up my mind so I got both 'The Shining' and 'Bringing Up Baby.' Now, I know you're thinking that one's a movie about a homicidal parent and the other one's about...hello..." She said as she walked in and saw Sookie, Rory and Charlotte standing in front of the kitchen table.

"Hi." Sookie said with a nervous smile.

"Hi Mom." Rory smiled just as nervously.

"Ok, what did you break?" She joked.

"Nothing." Sookie said quickly. "Well, the broiler. But this came for you and Max." She said as her, Rory and Charlotte moved out of the way revealing a wrapped present on the table.

"We're thinking it's a wedding present." Charlotte said quietly.

"Huh." Lorelai said checking the tag on it. "Yep. Lorelai Gilmore and Max Medina. Well, I guess news doesn't always travel fast."

"Are you going to open it?" Sookie asked.

"No." Lorelai said.

"But aren't you curious at all?" Sookie asked.

"No!" Lorelai said. "Just leave it there. I'll take it back tomorrow."

"But there's not a return address." Rory pointed out.

"Well isn't there a card with it?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope." Rory said. "Oh, maybe there's one inside."

"Rory..." Charlotte said.

"With the return address on it." Sookie added. "But that means you would have to open it to find out."

"You don't have to mom." Charlotte said.

"Why are you siding with her?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"Because this is obviously hard for her!" Charlotte pointed out.

"It's fine, give me a knife." Lorelai said trying to avoid an argument between her daughters. She cut open the package and then teared off the paper.

"Oh cool, an ice cream maker!" Rory exclaimed.

Even Charlotte looked impressed.

"It's a Musso Lussino 480!" Sookie exclaimed excitedly.

"Somebody sent me a fascist ice cream maker?" Lorelai frowned.

"It's an Italian design with a stainless steel body and a chrome finish." Sookie exclaimed.

"And no card. Perfect." Lorelai sighed.

"Jackson just got in his apple crop! Ooh, we can make cider ice cream!" Sookie said.

"Yes we can. Using his ice cream maker." Lorelai said. "Il Duce here is going back."

"To where? Maybe it's an orphan." Rory said.

"An orphan ice cream maker?" Charlotte smirked.

" She's right. We would be giving it a home." Sookie said.

"Ok, once again, this is a wedding present." Lorelai said. "And seeing as I'm not getting married, it's against the rules for me to keep this."

"But isn't there a rule about late presents?" Charlotte asked coming round to the idea of the present seeing as what it was.

"Yeah!" Sookie exclaimed. "Like if it arrives after a certain date, you don't have to return it."

"Exactly!" Rory said.

"Nice try." Lorelai smirked, amused by their tries.

"It's true!" Sookie said. "I saw it on Martha Stewart as she was doing one of those double programs and..."

"Sookie." Lorelai sighed.

"She said that if it arrives after ten weeks..."

"Ok stop now. This is a wedding present and until I find out who sent it, no one is going near it. Now come on, we're watching 'The Shining'." Lorelai said and walked out of the kitchen.

"I bet Max would have let us keep it." Sookie said quietly.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Come on." She said following her mom to the living room.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were sat next to each other in their Shakespeare lesson at Chilton where their teacher had just told them they were going to have to perform an act from 'Romeo and Juliet' in groups and that it was a big part of their final grade. Charlotte looked round as their teacher handed out the acts and started to dread what was about to happen.

"Act five." Madeline said.

"Act five." Louise said.

"Act five?" Paris asked Rory with raised eyebrows.

"Act five." Rory sighed.

"Why don't they just sew our sides together and rename us Chang and Eng?" Paris said.

"Ooh I'm act five as well!" Charlotte said with forced enthusiasm.

They all walked out of the classroom.

"Rory! Charlotte!" Henry ran up to them.

"Hi Henry!" Charlotte smiled at him.

"Hey! Act three, sword fight. You?" He asked.

"Act five, death scene." Rory said.

"Nice." He nodded. "So, uh, tonight at 8 o'clock?" He asked.

"I'll tell Lane." Rory smiled.

At that moment, Paris walked up to them. "Rory, Charlotte, sorry to interrupt. Hi Henry." She said. "See, we're all standing over there trying to work out a game plan and a rehearsal schedule for our project and I'm sure whatever the three of you are talking about over here is so much more fascinating and important. It may even be fun. But I would really like to get an A on this assignment and in order to do that, I'm afraid you're going to have to discuss whatever it is you're discussing another time, ok?" She said before walking back to Madeline and Louise.

"That was scary." Henry said.

"Try having her in your class." Charlotte joked.

"She's going to be a lot scarier when she gets an megaphone in her hands." Rory sighed. "Bye Henry." She said before her and Charlotte joined Paris, Madeline and Louise.

"So, I think we should meet in the cafeteria. The acoustics are good and similar to the Grand Hall, and..." She stopped noticing Rory and Charlotte stood next to her. "Oh, well look who decided to show up."

"Sorry." Rory said sarcastically.

"Save it." Paris said.

"Well, well, well, look who's back from suspension." Louise suddenly said her gaze moving past them and looking down the corridor.

"Tristan got suspended again?" Rory asked.

"Like you hadn't noticed he'd been gone." Charlotte smirked, receiving a glare from her sister in return.

"What did he do?" Rory asked the others.

"Took apart Mr. McCaffey's car and put it back together in the science building hallway." Madeline told her.

"You're kidding." Rory had to laugh.

"Yeah but he didn't do it by himself. Duncan and Bowman were there too." Louise said.

"Plus the mechanics that they paid to actually do the work." Madeline said.

"Well anyone stupid enough to hang out with Butch Cassidy and the Sun-dunce kid deserves whatever they get." Paris scowled.

"How did he fall in with those guys?" Rory asked glancing down at the guys Tristan was joking around with.

"The new school year started and there they were, all side by side." Madeline shrugged.

"And dressing the same." Louise said.

"Trust Tristan to get in with the troublemakers of the year." Charlotte joked, going to follow Paris, Madeline and Louise but stopped when she had noticed Rory stop and look down the corridor. "Hey, you coming?" She asked.

"What? Oh yeah." Rory said turning round and following Charlotte.

* * *

The following day, Charlotte and Rory walked over to a table where Madeline, Louise, and another boy were sitting.

"Hey." Rory said.

"Hey." Madeline said.

"We're the Monkees." Louise and Charlotte said in unison before grinning at each other.

"Where's Paris?" Rory asked.

"She'll be here in a minute. She said she had to go get some things." Madeline said.

"Hi!" Charlotte smiled sitting in between Rory and the boy at the table. "I'm Charlotte and this is Rory." She said.

"I'm Brad. From the third period Shakespeare." He replied.

"He's apparently the answer to our lack of boys problem." Louise said rolling her eyes.

Rory looked around. "Well, maybe we should start while Paris is getting whatever she's getting." She said.

"Without Paris?" Madeline said doubtfully.

"That could be lethal." Louise agreed.

"We could at least decide on what motif we want to do." Rory tried but was interrupted by Paris walking in with a box of stuff.

"We're doing traditional Elizabethan." Paris announced.

"Elizabethan? But I thought the point of this was to..." Charlotte started saying.

"The point is to get an A and not to make Romeo and Juliet into some lame Vegas lounge act." She said. "Besides, we have the death scene. It's classic and the most famous scene. Who are you?" She asked noticing Brad for the first time.

"I'm, uh, Brad. From the third period Shakespeare." He said. "Ma'am." He added causing Charlotte to smirk.

"Ok. So I want everyone to read the chapters on acting I photocopied for you all. Everyone should know it by heart by Friday and if you even try to miss a rehearsal, you better bring a coroner's note." She said placing a sword on the table.

"Please tell me you didn't just have that lying around." Rory said.

"We're short on boys." Paris continued. "So that makes you Romeo." She told Brad. "Louise, you can play the Friar..." She was saying when Tristan suddenly walked in and sat down next to Rory.

"Well, well, well! The gang's all here." He said with his trademark smirk.

"This is a meeting." Paris said stiffly.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late." He said with mock sympathy.

"What do you think you're doing?" Paris asked getting annoyed.

"Well Professor Anderson forgot to include me when she made up the groups, so she told me to pick one." Tristan said glancing at Rory and giving her a smirk.

"Fine, you have four other acts to choose from. Take your pick." Paris exclaimed.

"Yeah but Summer's in act 1, Beth and Jessica are in act 2, Kate's in act 3, and Claire, Kathy, and Mary are in act 4. So this is the only one free of ex-girlfriends." He said.

"So we're being punished for our good taste?" Paris glared at him.

"Aw Paris, you hurt me. Do you no longer have any need for me at all?" He joked.

"Yes, we have a great need! You can be our Romeo." Louise smiled triumphantly.

"Brad is Romeo!" Rory exclaimed.

"Sure he is." Louise said sarcastically. "Take an eye test. Tristan _is_ Romeo. Brad can be the second guard on the left."

"Ooh and Rory can be Juliet!" Charlotte grinned.

"What? No!" Rory exclaimed giving her sister a death glare.

"She's kind of right, Paris." Madeline said. "Tristan was born to be Romeo."

"I'm the director and I get to decide who's born to be what, and Brad is Romeo." Paris exclaimed angrily.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Louise said under her breath.

"What?" Paris said glaring at her.

"I just think someone is letting her personal feeling interfere with her leadership." Louise said. "Tristan is Romeo. Just admit it."

"I don't want to give the most important part to someone who can't even manage to stay in school." Paris said but everyone could see she was relenting.

"I'm just going to say one thing. Fifty percent of our final grade." Louise said knowing she had Paris at that point.

"Fine, but I swear if you bail on this, you'll pray you get suspended." Paris told Tristan.

"Sure ok." Tristan said getting up. "I've got to run." He said. "Are we done here?"

"Rehearsal tonight!" Paris called after him.

"Good. So now Brad can be Friar Tuck and I can be Juliet." Louise smiled sweetly.

"Wrong." Paris said. "Charlotte's right. Rory's Juliet."

"Did Paris just agree with me? That's a first." Charlotte joked.

"Hey!" Louise protested.

"Juliet's supposed to be chaste." Paris pointed out.

"Oh." Louise said.

"Then..." Madeline said.

"And she has more than three lines."

"Oh." Madeline said losing interest.

Paris looked over at Rory. "You're Juliet."

"What, why?" Rory protested. "Why can't Charlotte be Juliet?"

"Please! I'm rubbish at learning lines. You know that." Charlotte said.

"Well what about you?" Rory asked Paris desperately.

"I'm the director." She said as if it was obvious. "You're Juliet." She repeated. "You're the best public speaker here, you've definitely got that waif thing down and you'll look great dead."

As Paris starting going onto the next order of business, Charlotte smirked at Rory. "Tristan and Rory sitting in a tree..." She sang under her breath.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai walked into the living room wearing the Juliet headpiece. "What dost my ladies think?" She said, causing Rory and Charlotte to look up from where they were sat in the living room.

"That you're going to be late for the joust?" Rory smirked.

"I meant what dost thy ladies think of thy lovely headdress crafted by thy mother's hand artful hand?" Lorelai grinned.

"It pleaseth us mucheth but...uh...hath my beautius mother lookedeth at the time?" Charlotte grinned.

Lorelai looked at the clock and took the headpiece off quickly. "Oh crap!" She said racing upstairs to get ready for her date.

The phone rang and Rory went to answer it taking it into the living room. Meanwhile, Charlotte felt her own cellphone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and opened the text. She sighed and put it back in her pocket. A few seconds later, Lorelai raced back downstairs just as Rory came back into the room looking stressed.

"Hey, have you seen my bag with the beads and the fur?" Lorelai asked. "Oh found it!" She said picking it up from the table in the living room.

"We're rehearsing here now." Rory said.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Our Shakespeare group." Rory said.

"Why?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Paris didn't want anyone spying on us so now we're rehearsing in Stars Hollow." Rory said. "This sucks!" She exclaimed.

"Well, at least we don't have to drive to Hartford now." Charlotte said. "What's the problem?"

"Tristan is in our group." Rory said as if it was obvious.

"So?" Charlotte said.

"Tristan's in our group and Dean lives here and this sucks!" Rory exclaimed exasperated.

"Ok you're so going to need a few more vowels here for me for me to understand what you're going on about." Lorelai said.

"I have to tell him!" Rory said.

"Tell who?" Lorelai asked.

"Dean!"

"Dean?"

"Yes Dean! I have to tell him that Tristan and I...kissed at that stupid party." Rory said.

"Oh..." Lorelai said.

"So?" Charlotte said.

"I have no choice." Rory said. "And Dean's going to hate me!"

"You and Dean were broken up when you and Tristan kissed." Lorelai said.

"Yeah but it was the day after Dean told her he loved her." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte..." Lorelai warned.

"What? It's true." Charlotte grumbled.

"Ok just calm down." Lorelai told Rory. "I really have to go now but don't be too hasty. Dean doesn't have to know."

"He does! Because if Tristan sees Dean tonight he'll tell him!" Rory exclaimed.

"Ok calm down. Just get there early tonight so you can catch Tristan before he runs into Dean. Do the rehearsal and then say bye. No problem." Lorelai said. "Right I really have to go now."

"Mom!" Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "Just...do what you think is best ok?" She said softly. "I'll see you both later." She said before leaving.

Rory sighed and sat down. "What am I going to do?"

"Stop being a drama queen?" Charlotte suggested.

"Ok what's up with you?" Rory asked.

"Nothing." Charlotte said quickly.

"It's obviously not nothing. You're being mean." Rory frowned.

"Jess and I kissed." Charlotte blurted out.

Rory's eyes widened. "What? When?"

"Day before yesterday." Charlotte admitted. "I found him on the bridge after school. I was going to apologise to him for shouting at him the day before and I told him how sweet it was that he fixed the toaster for Luke. But then he started acting like a jerk again so we got into another fight..." She said.

"Ok..." Rory said confused as to where this story was going.

"I was saying how I was sick of him playing games with me and then he kissed me." Charlotte sighed, putting her head in her hands. "And I've been avoiding him ever since."

"Why have you been avoiding him?" Rory asked amused.

"Because...I don't know! I just don't know how to deal with something like this. I've never felt like this about someone before. God, I've not even known him for that long and I already feel like we're so...I don't know, connected." She said.

"Wow...you've really fallen hard." Rory said softly.

Charlotte looked up at her. "Yeah.." She admitted. "But I don't know how he feels. I don't know if he just kissed me to shut me up or whatever. And then there's mom..."

"What about mom?" Rory asked confused.

"She's going to freak when she finds out!"

"No she won't."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows at her.

"Ok maybe a bit. But I thought you two settled your differences about Jess. You said she respected your judgement." Rory said.

"Yeah but that was when she thought Jess was just a friend." Charlotte pointed out. "She's so going to freak and I don't know how to tell her."

"Well you have to at some point. She's going to notice at some point." Rory said.

"She's still going to freak." Charlotte said. "Remember how much she freaked when she found out about you and Dean."

"I know but she came round." Rory pointed out. "She'll come round to the idea of you and Jess as well."

"She won't. I know she won't."

Rory sighed. "Ok, now who's being the drama queen?" She joked.

Charlotte pouted. "Mean." She joked.

"Look, why don't you talk to Jess first? See how he's feeling and then if he feels the same as you, then you can think about how to tell mom. Because you have to. The longer you keep it a secret, the more hurt she'll be that you kept it from her." Rory said.

"Yeah I know." Charlotte sighed. She gave Rory a small smile. "Thanks Ror."

"What are sisters for?" Rory shrugged.

Charlotte smirked and then her face lit up. "Hey, how about I pretend to be Dean and you can practice how to tell him about you and Tristan?" She said.

"Seriously?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Yes seriously. Come on." Charlotte grinned sitting down on the couch next to her.

"Ok." She said rolling her eyes. "Dean..." She started.

"Yes?" Charlotte said in a deep voice.

"Charlie!" Rory exclaimed.

"Ok serious now." Charlotte smirked.

"Ok..uh...Dean, remember last year when we had broken up and we weren't together anymore because we had broken up?" She said.

"Good mention it three times. Keep going." Charlotte grinned.

"And...uh...there was this party, this Chilton party and I went and...uh...Tristan was there. And somehow, I'm not really sure how, we ended up in a room together and...we kissed." Rory said.

"You and Tristan?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah.."

"On the hand?"

"No."

"Cheek?"

"No! Charlie!"

"He kissed you or you kissed him?" Charlotte continued.

"Kind of both."

"So you kissed him?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"I already told you three times! When we were broken up!" Rory exclaimed.

"Ok, word of advice? Not a good idea to yell at him right now." Charlotte said.

"Sorry."

"When during the break up?" Charlotte continued.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how long after we broke up did you kiss Tristan?"

"Uh...the night after..."

"You mean the night after I told you I loved you?"

"Uh yes..." Rory said faltering.

"The night after I told you I loved you, you kissed Tristan?"

"I'm a terrible person!" Rory exclaimed.

"Wait a minute..." Charlotte said.

"He's absolutely right! He told me he loved me and the next night I go and I kiss Tristan!"

"Hey! That was me, not Dean."

"I hate myself!"

"Look, you didn't do anything wrong. You were hurt and confused and broken up. You did nothing wrong. And if Dean loves you which he does, he'll forgive you." Charlotte reassured her. "Come on, we should go." She said.

"Dean and I are going through a rough patch." Rory admitted quietly.

"Really?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I don't know, it just feels like we're both making a lot more effort when we're together. We shouldn't have to though, should we? It should be easy. Also, we've not seen each other as much recently and when we do we normally have some sort of a fight." Rory sighed.

"I didn't know you were going through that." Charlotte said softly. "You always look happy together."

Rory shrugged. "It started when Jess arrived."

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"He got jealous because I was talking to him and being nice to him. Once he realised Jess was interested in you and not me, he calmed down a bit but he's always been jealous of Tristan. We'll be over if I tell him about the kiss." Rory said.

"Well..." Charlotte started but stopped.

"What?" Rory asked.

Charlotte sighed. "If it's so hard between you two, maybe it might be a good thing if you broke up...?" She said hesitantly.

"What?" Rory exclaimed shocked.

"Look, I like Dean ok? But if there's no spark between you two anymore, why are you still together? Dean shouldn't be getting jealous of you having guy friends and you shouldn't have to feel guilty about something you did when you were broken up. It's not healthy." Charlotte said quietly. "I'm sorry but..."

"No you're right..." Rory sighed. "I'll talk to Dean and if he says it's over then maybe..."

"It's for the best?" Charlotte said softly.

"Yeah..." Rory said quietly.

"I'm sorry." She said sincerely.

"No it's ok." Rory said. "Come on, we should go." She said getting up and grbbing her jacket before heading to the front door, Charlotte following behind her.

* * *

Later that evening Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were sat at Luke's after the rehearsal.

"So how was it?" Charlotte asked her mom.

"Well..." Lorelai asked.

"Aw...not good?" Rory said.

"You know, we talked about all the things we had in common and then the salad came..." She joked.

"Not a soulmate?" Charlotte asked.

"He's never seen Ab Fab." Lorelai said.

"Definitely not a soulmate." Charlotte smirked.

"Plus, he's outdoorsy..."

"Uh oh..." Rory said.

"Yeah. But to be honest, I'm really glad I went tonight." She admitted.

"Really?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, it was fun to get dressed up and have a freshly laundered man open the door for me. And the best part about it was, it was no big deal. We laughed a little, we hugged goodnight, I'll never date him again but I do believe the burrito bit will live on." She smiled. "It was a totally casual date. I am now officially a casual dater."

"That's good." Charlotte smiled, glad her mom seemed to be moving on from Max.

"Yeah it is. And we can celebrate by getting you your own plate of fries." Rory quipped.

"Huh?" Lorelai said and then realised she'd been stealing fries off Rory's plate.

"Hey Luke, can we get another round?" Charlotte called over to the counter, taking a glance round to see if Jess was around but she hadn't seen him since they'd come in. She sighed and turned back to her mom and Rory.

"So tell me about the big rehearsal." Lorelai said.

"We got off to a shaky start. Louise acted like she was the priest in a Madonna video." Rory said.

"But by the end, we weren't half bad. Even Tristan took it seriously." Charlotte said.

"That's good." Lorelai said.

"Tristan ran into Dean though, at Doose's." Rory said.

"Uh oh..."

"It's okay though because I pulled them apart without any bloodshed and I explained it all to Dean." Rory said avoiding Charlotte's gaze.

"You explained it all to Dean?" Lorelai asked.

"No she bottled out." Charlotte said.

"I told him that Tristan wasn't supposed to be in our group and Paris moved the rehearsal to Miss Patty's at the last minute and that's why he didn't know about it." Rory said.

"Oh, that version of all."

"But Dean's fine now."

"He's fine?" Lorelai asked.

"He's fine." Rory said trying to convince herself at the same time."

"Ok." Lorelai said.

"You look all dressed up." Luke said coming over to them with another burger and fries.

"Do I? Because I feel very casual." Lorelai grinned.

Just then Dean walked into the diner and sat down with them. "Hey." He said.

"Hi, have you just got off work?" Rory asked.

"Yup." He said.

"Hey Dean. Do you want some fries?" Lorelai asked.

"No thanks. I'm actually going home for dinner. My mom made fried chicken tonight and she saved me some." He smiled.

"Oh, you have a cooking mom." Lorelai nodded.

"I envy that." Charlotte grinned.

"Well she may make chicken, but is she a casual dater?" Lorelai joked.

"I hope not. She's married." Rory laughed.

"Do I want to know what either one of you is talking about?" Dean asked.

"Nope." Luke said as he refilled some coffee on the next table.

"Our mother casually dated tonight." Rory smirked.

Charlotte caught the glance over to their table that Luke did and gave him a small smile.

"Oh, well, congratulations." Dean said not really knowing what to say.

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Lorelai grinned.

"So, I was wondering what time your rehearsal was tomorrow?" He asked Rory.

"Five, why?" She asked.

"Well...uh...it's my night off and I thought maybe I'd come by and watch." He said.

"Watch what?"

"Watch you."

"Watch me do what?"

"Uh I think he wants to watch us rehearse." Charlotte said giving Rory a pointed look.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Oh...well...uh...Dean...I think you'd be really bored watching rehearsal." Rory said.

"I won't." He said.

"We don't even know our lines yet. You should just come on Sunday." Rory said.

"That's a good idea. After all, Sunday is the day of rest and that's what you'll be doing! Resting. because it's boring." Lorelai joked.

"Our supportive mother ladies and gentlemen!" Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Well, honey, it's not your fault. You didn't write the damn thing." Lorelai joked.

"I'll come on Sunday too." Dean said.

"Ok. But if you're going to go on Sunday, you don't want to spoil it for yourself." Rory said.

"What? It's not like I don't know how it ends." Dean laughed.

"Ok, Dean, look.." Rory said.

Charlotte looked up wondering if her sister was actually going to tell Dean the truth but before she could, Dean interrupted.

"Rory, come on. I'll sit in the back, you'll die, and I'll walk you home. It's no big deal, right?" He said.

"Right..." She said quietly.

"Good, so I'll see you tomorrow." Dean smiled giving her a kiss.

"Yep, you sure will." Rory said.

"Bye Lorelai, Charlotte.." He smiled.

"Bye Dean." Lorelai said.

"See ya!" Charlotte said watching him leave before turning to Rory. "Rory..."

"Yeah I know..." She sighed.

* * *

Charlotte watched Rory walk up to Tristan and his friends at school the following day.

"Excuse me Tristan, can I talk to you for a second?" Rory asked.

"I'll meet you guys later, okay?" Tristan told his friends. "I'm all yours." He told her.

"I need to talk to you about something serious." She said.

"Serious, huh? I'm intrigued." He smirked.

"Dean's coming to rehearsal tonight." She said.

"Wow, are you sure they can spare him? I mean, what if there's a run on baked beans?" He said sarcastically.

"Can you just shut up for five seconds, please?" She snapped. Tristan put his hands up in mock surrender. "Thank you." She said. "Look, as I said, Dean is coming to rehearsal tonight, and I'd like to ask you to promise that you won't say anything to him about what happened."

"What happened?" Tristan said innocently.

"At the party?" Rory said.

"At the party?" He pretended not to know.

"Tristan!" She exclaimed. "You and me, at Madeline's party? You had just been kicked to the curb by Summer, and I found you sulking on a piano bench and I sat down, we talked, and then...we kissed!"

"That was you?" He smirked.

"You know what, forget it!" She snapped.

"Rory wait." He said.

"There's no point in talking to you. I knew that, yet I tried. Won't happen again." She grumbled.

"You don't want me to tell Dean that we kissed." He said.

"By George, I think he's got it." Rory said sarcastically.

"Ok, if that's what you want." He said.

"It is." She said.

"Although, he's going to find out anyway." He said.

"What?" She said.

"Well, come on, you know that when we kiss on stage it's going be pretty obvious that it's not the first time. I'm a good actor, but I can't hide that kind of passion." He smirked.

"Look, things are good for me and Dean right now and I don't want anything to mess that up." She said although she wasn't sure if that was really true. "Especially not something that meant nothing at all to me and I wished had never happened in the first place." She snapped.

"So things are going good for you too, huh?" Tristan said.

"Yeah, they are." Rory said quietly.

"Good, that's good." Tristan forced a smile.

"So what do you think?" She said. She noticed him put some books back into his locker that he'd just taken out. "You just took those out." She said.

"Well, I changed my mind." He said.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think somehow I'll recover from the great romance between you and the Bagboy." He said.

"A lot of stuff's been going on with you lately, huh?" She said.

"Meaning?"

"Just, you know, the car thing...the suspension thing, a lot of drama." She said.

"Well I get bored easily." He said.

"Just doesn't really seem like you." She commented.

"And you know me now?" He said starting to get annoyed.

"I know you don't get suspended for stupid pranks." She said.

"I pulled stuff like that before I knew Duncan and Bowman, ok?" He said.

"Well, if you did, you didn't get caught. You're getting caught a lot." Rory said.

"Your point being?" He said.

"Maybe Duncan and Bowman aren't the best people to be hanging out with. They're not as smart as you Tristan. They don't have what you have going for you. They..." She said.

"You know, I'm going to have to bail before we get to the whole hugging part. And ask your boyfriend to remind me when it's coupon day, okay?" Tristan said annoyed, before walking away.

"Well you could have been nicer." Charlotte commented as he walked towards her.

"So?" He said. "I don't like being told who I can be friends with." He said.

"Look, the reason she doesn't want you to tell Dean is because she wants to be the one to tell him." Charlotte said.

"What?" He said surprised.

"She knows she has to. But don't you think it should come from her and not you?" Charlotte said.

Tristan sighed. "Yeah whatever." He said.

"And she was right. You're too smart to be hanging around with Duncan and Bowman. If you're not careful, you'll get expelled." She said.

"There's nothing to stay for really is there?" He shrugged.

"Not even Rory?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows. She smirked when he looked at her in surprise. "Come on, Tristan! It's so obvious you like her!"

"So what if I do?" He retorted.

"Do you want her to like you? Because I think she does. But she's not if you're going to be stupid and hang around with people like Duncan and Bowman. She might even change her mind and not tell Dean about the kiss and then they will live happily ever after. Is that what you want?" Charlotte said.

"You think they'll break up?" Tristan asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "I like Dean and I know he loves Rory and Rory cares about him but there's not that spark there anymore and I think they both see it." She said. "But you tell them I told you that, I'll kill you!" She warned.

Tristan smirked. "Duly noted."

"Rory's right. You don't need Duncan and Bowman. Don't get yourself expelled for them Tristan." Charlotte said. "I'll see you at rehearsal." She said before walking off.

* * *

The rehearsal took place at Miss Patty's again later that day and surprisingly it was going well. Rory felt awkward with Dean watching but Tristan had been good so it was going ok.

"Ok let's take five and then we'll go from the top again." Paris said.

Rory got up and was going to head towards Dean when Tristan stopped her. "Rory?" He said.

"Yeah?" She turned round.

"I just..uh..I just wanted to say sorry for being a bit curt yesterday." He said.

"A bit curt?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Ok a lot curt!" He smirked. "But..uh..I just wanted to let you know I blew off Duncan and Bowman. They wanted me to do this big thing involved Bowman's dad's safe but I told them no." He said.

"Oh." Rory said surprised. "Well. Good." She said.

"You were right. I don't need them. And I'm sorry." He said.

Rory smirked. "Wow, I never thought I'd hear Tristan DuGrey say sorry." She joked.

Tristan chuckled. "Yeah well feel honoured. It won't happen much!" He joked.

"Oh I do!" Rory laughed.

"Well..uh..your boyfriend's waiting for you and we only have five minutes break so I'll let you go." Tristan said going to walk off to Charlotte who was watching their exchange.

"Tristan?" Rory said.

"Yeah?" He said turning round.

"I'm glad you're not hanging round with them anymore." She smiled. "I don't want you to get expelled."

"Wow Mary, it actually seems like you care!" He smirked.

Rory smirked. "Well what fun would school be without you there to annoy me." She joked before heading off to talk to Dean.

* * *

The performance went well on Sunday and thankfully for everyone, Paris was happy.

"So Mary what did you think about our second kiss?" Tristan smirked.

"Oh I don't know. I was dead so I couldn't technically feel anything." Rory smirked. She saw Dean hovering by the stage. "I should...uh..." She said gesturing towards Dean.

"Oh...yeah. Go." He said.

Rory went over to Dean. "Hey what did you think?" She smiled.

"Good. You were really good." He nodded. "Very believable." He added.

Rory looked at him and noticed him acting shifty. "Are you ok?"

Dean sighed. "I think we should talk."

"Dean..." Rory said quietly but followed him out to the hallway.

"I don't think we're working anymore." Dean said reluctantly.

"Dean..."

"No let me get this out." Dean said taking a deep breath. "I've been watching you and Tristan together and I've seen it."

"Seen what?" Rory asked.

"You're falling for him." He said quietly.

"What? No I'm not! That's crazy! I love you, Dean! I'm with you!" Rory exclaimed.

"Maybe you do love me but you're falling for him, Rory." He said. He sighed. "Look, I'm not mad ok? I think I knew this was coming since I heard about you and Tristan kissing at that party." He shrugged.

"Wait what? How did you...?" Rory asked stunned.

"I overheard you talking to Lane about it." He said.

"I was going to tell you about it. I promise." She said quietly.

"I know. I figured you would when you were ready." He said.

Rory looked up at Dean. "I'm sorry, Dean. I never wanted this..." She said quietly, blinking back some tears.

"I know." He said softly. "But there's not that spark between us anymore really. Not like before. I think we've both felt it haven't we?"

Rory sighed but nodded. "Yeah." She said quietly.

Dean glanced into the hall where he saw Tristan with Charlotte who were subtly watching them. "Your heart lies with someone else." He said quietly.

Rory glanced over at Tristan and then back at Dean. "I...don't know what to say." She said quietly.

"It's ok." He said. "We've had fun right?" He said giving her a small smile.

"Yeah we have." She said returning his smile.

"We've just run our time." Dean said. "It happens. But we need to do something about it."

"So...we're breaking up?" Rory said quietly.

"Yeah..." He said quietly. "But I want you to know I have no regrets." He said.

"Me neither." She said giving him a tremulous smile. "None at all. I really did love you, Dean." She said sincerely.

"I know." He said. "And I loved you too. We've just...drifted apart. It happens."

Rory nodded. She took a deep hug. "So...uh...can we still be friends?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh...yeah! Of course! I'd like that." He smiled.

Rory smiled and gave him a hug. "So...see you around?"

"Well in a town like Stars Hollow, it's a given isn't it?" He joked.

Rory laughed. "Yeah it is."

"I'll let you go." Dean said knowing everyone was waiting for her. "It's been one hell of a ride, Rory. Follow your heart, ok? I might think he's a jerk, but it's so obvious he likes you. And I think you like him too. So follow your heart." He said softly.

"Bye Dean." Rory said softly watching him leave. She took a deep breath, wiped some tears away and then headed over to where her mom and Sookie were waiting along with Charlotte who was with Tristan.

* * *

Charlotte smiled as she watched her mom walk over to Luke and talk to him. It had been weird between the two of them since her mom had dated that young guy but by the looks of her mom and Luke laughing, they seemed to have finally made up. She was glad. She knew her mom had missed Luke. She suddenly saw Jess appear from the curtain and go to the end of the counter and get a book out, flipping through it. She took a deep breath. Now it was her turn to make amends. She got up and slowly walked over to him. "Hey..." She said cautiously.

"Hey." He said glancing up at her.

"So...uh...it's..uh..I know I've been..." She started.

"Avoiding me?" Jess finished for her.

"No!" Charlotte said quickly. She sighed. "Ok yeah, maybe I have..."

"For the whole week." He nodded.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "It's just I...I wasn't sure what to do or say or if you felt the same or what to think. I got nervous and I..."

"Freaked out?" Jess guessed.

Charlotte looked up at him. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"It's cool." He said.

"Really?" She asked.

"I figured you'd come talk to me when you were done freaking." He shrugged. He glanced up at her. "Have you changed your mind?" He asked.

"What? No! The kiss...it was...unexpected. But good. Amazing." She rambled.

Jess smirked. "Amazing huh?"

"Yeah alright! Don't get too cocky!" Charlotte laughed.

Jess chuckled. "So...? What now?"

"You really want this?" Charlotte asked.

"Would I have kissed you if I hadn't?" He said.

"No but..."

"Charlotte." Jess interrupted her.

"Yeah?"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" He asked.

"Yeah why?" She asked.

"Good. I'm taking you out." He smirked.

Charlotte grinned. "Really? Where to?"

"Come on, I can't reveal everything. I need to keep some sort of rep." He joked.

Charlotte laughed. She smiled at him. "I'd like that." She said sincerely.

"Good." He said returning her smile. He then glanced over at the table. "So who's the new guy?" He asked.

Charlotte looked back at the table where Sookie, Rory and Tristan were sat and smiled. "Tristan. He goes to our school."

"Are they dating?" Jess asked surprised. "I thought Rory was with Dean."

"She was. They broke up. Tonight." Charlotte said.

"Wow ok. She moves on fast." He smirked.

Charlotte playfully hit him. "Be good!" She said. "We had something at Chilton tonight. We invited Tristan along to celebrate Paris not killing us." She joked.

"Sounds fun." He smirked.

Suddenly they heard laughter from across the other end of the counter and saw Lorelai and Luke laughing together. "Aw that's nice to see. I'm glad they've made up." Charlotte smiled.

"Luke has been pretty miserable the past few days." Jess nodded.

"Mom really values his friendship." Charlotte said quietly, smiling as she watched them.

"Yeah it's sort of nice to see Luke joke with someone." Jess said.

Charlotte smirked at glanced back at Jess.

"What?" He said.

"You so care about Luke!" She grinned.

"Hey, if he's happy it's easier to live with him ok?" Jess said.

"You care about him." Charlotte grinned.

"It's better him being happy than him being grumpy." Jess said.

"You care about him." She smirked.

"Alright fine!" Jess exclaimed. "You happy now?" He said. "Now do you want some food or should I go back upstairs?"

"Burger and fries please! And get some on for everyone else as well!" She grinned.

"Coming right up." He rolled his eyes before disappearing into the kitchen.

Charlotte got up just as Lorelai did the same and they walked over to the table together.

"So something you want to tell me about you and Jess?" Lorelai whispered in her ear.

Charlotte looked up in surprise. "Mom..." She said nervously but she relaxed a bit when she saw her mom's eyes twinkling.

"We can talk tonight." Lorelai said. "Come on, let's wait for your boyfriend to cook for us." She said with a slight smirk.

Charlotte blushed and followed her mom back to the table.

 **I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading what you all think! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for your continued support! I know I repeat myself a lot but I really do appreciate it, so thank you! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 6

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were busy making a snowman in the middle of the square.

"How do you like that mouth?" Lorelai asked, making finishing touches to it.

"It's not very mouthlike." Rory said doubtfully.

"At all!" Charlotte agreed.

"Oh, I think it works." Lorelai shrugged.

"It's tilted to the side!" Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was intentional. It gives her a unique expression." Lorelai joked.

"Like she had a stroke?" Charlotte chipped in.

"Fine!" Lorelai relented. "I'll just use the Mrs. Potato Head lips."

"No, forget it, leave it. It's not like we're going to win this anyway." Rory said.

"Whoa, bad attitude!" Lorelai said.

"Come on Mom! We all know that is the single most incredible snowman we have ever seen." Charlotte said gesturing to the man working on an elaborate snow sculpture behind them.

"No I'm sorry, that snowman is way over the top. It's way too showy." Lorelai shook her head.

"That's kind of the point of a snowman-building contest." Rory pointed out.

"Urgh, I hate this man with every fibre of my being." Lorelai grimaced as he gave them a smile.

"He looks nice." Rory said.

"He's a ringer."

"How do you know that?"

"It's obvious. Someone must have recruited him, promised him a handsome sum of money, then financed his snowman making skills just so he could snatch victory away from a more deserving local of the town in order to bag the contest prize for himself." Lorelai said.

"Uh mom? That seems a little elaborate considering that the prize is a set of new US quarters." Charlotte smirked.

"Urgh, well we should ignore him now." Lorelai said. "So, what are we all going to do on your school break?" She smiled at them.

"Nothing." Rory said.

"Sounds good." Lorelai nodded.

"Plus some homework." Rory added.

"And lots of movies." Lorelai grinned.

"Ooh, we have to rent Godfather 3 on DVD." Rory exclaimed.

"You're kidding." Lorelai laughed.

"No! In the audio commentary, Coppola actually defends casting Sofia." Rory grinned.

"Now that is fatherly love." Lorelai said. "What's all this homework you have to do?" She asked.

"Just stuff for the paper." Rory sighed.

"What? Why?"

"Because Paris wants the first issue back to be a double issue, so we have to prepare it over break and she says the news never sleeps."

"What about Paris, does she ever sleep?" Lorelai joked.

"I think she periodically makes a whirring noise and then just shuts down. Like a computer." Rory joked.

"Well, you can't work the whole time." Lorelai complained.

"I won't, I promise." Rory assured her.

Lorelai then looked at Charlotte. "You've gone pretty quiet. Any plans for your school break apart from spending every waking minute with your fabulous mother and sister, of course!" She grinned.

"Oh..well.." Charlotte said hesitantly.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Jess and I were going to hang out a bit. He's off school too and we were going to go to Andrew's bookstore and..well, just...hang." Charlotte said.

"Oh...well of course!" Lorelai said forcing a smile on her face. "Of course the two of you would want to hang out. It's what boyfriends and girlfriends do. Just...hang out..." Lorelai said.

"Mom..." Charlotte said. She knew her mom had been struggling with the idea of her and Jess. She had tried to hide it but she wasn't very good a it.

"Oh my God!" Rory suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"He's power buffing!"

Lorelai and Charlotte turned round. "Right, now that is just wrong!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"We're competing against the Michelangelo of snow." Charlotte smirked.

"And we're that boy from 'The Snowman'.

"We shouldn't look at him anymore." Rory said.

"You're right. Heads down, stay focused." Lorelai said.

"We can do this!" Rory nodded.

"Absolutely!" Lorelai said.

Charlotte smirked as their snowman's head fell. "So...coffee?" She suggested.

"Right behind you." Lorelai sighed as she and Rory followed Charlotte to Luke's.

They sat at a table by the window once they entered the diner.

"I'll get the coffee." Lorelai said getting up.

"No, I'll get it." Charlotte said quickly spotting Jess by the till, getting up and heading over to the counter.

Rory watched their mom watch Charlotte and Jess with a worried look on her face. "She's happy, mom." She said softly.

"Huh what?" Lorelai said taking her gaze away from Charlotte and Jess for a second.

"Charlie. She seems really happy with Jess." Rory said.

"Yeah...she does." Lorelai said quietly.

"Can't you give him a second chance? He seems to really like her too." Rory said quietly. "It would mean a lot to her."

Lorelai sighed. "I don't have to like him, Rory. I can't do anything about them being together but it doesn't mean I have to like him."

"No, but wouldn't it be easier for everyone if you at least tried to be civil?" She pointed out. Both of them looked over at the counter when they heard laughter and they saw Charlotte laughing at whatever Jess had said and him smirking in return. "I've not seen her this happy since...well, ever." Rory said. "I'm pretty sure he's the cause of that."

Lorelai sighed and watched her other daughter chat and laugh with Jess. "Fine, I'll be civil but that's it." She said.

"Thanks mom." Rory smiled at her.

"Three coffees and our food's coming." Charlotte grinned as she returned to the table.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai and Sookie had been listening to some music auditions for The Bracebridge Dinner they were having at the inn that week. As she was listening to a harpist play, her cell rang.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey Lor, it's me." Chris said.

"Oh, hi Chris! How are you?" She smiled.

"Good, good. Have you..uh..got a minute?" He asked.

"Uh oh." Lorelai said.

"It's not an uh oh." He laughed. "I just wanted to run an idea by you."

"Oh ok. Run it." She smiled.

"Now it's totally your call and I don't want to step on any plans you've already made. But I know Rory and Charlotte have a break in school coming up, and I was wondering if you'd be cool with them coming to visit for a couple of days." He said.

"Oh..uh..a couple of days? You mean they'd stay the night?" Lorelai asked her smile faltering.

"Yeah, it's totally your call though." He said. "Where are you, heaven?" He joked hearing the harp play in the background.

"Do you even have room for them to stay?" Lorelai asked, hoping he didn't.

"Not just room, _a_ room." He said. "A designated guest room with two twin beds. Sherry fixed it up really nice" He smiled.

"Aw, good for her." Lorelai said unconvincingly.

"So what do you think?" He asked.

"I don't know. It's awfully last minute." She said trying to stall.

"It's totally last minute. You can say no and there'll be no hard feelings at all." Chris assured her.

"Well..." She said, really not being able to come up with an excuse to say no. "...it's really up to Rory and Charlotte to say yes or no."

"So you're cool with it?" He asked.

"Yeah...sure! If they are, yeah."

"Great, that's great. Thank you." He smiled. "Well I'll let you run it past them and you can get back to me whenever. No pressure."

"No pressure." She forced a smile.

"Talk to you later." He smiled.

"Yeah, talk to you later." She said before hanging up and sighing.

* * *

The three of them were at their weekly Friday Night Dinner but this week, there wasn't that much conversation. Rory and Charlotte exchanged a look before looking at their mom and gesturing for her to say something.

"So what are your travel plans, Dad?" She asked.

"Hmm..what?" Richard asked looking up.

"You and mom, you always go out of town this time of year." Lorelai smiled.

"Last year it was the Bahamas." Rory said.

"Oh yeah, I was so jealous!" Charlotte chipped in.

"Yes, that's right, it was." Richard said.

"I remember you had fun too." Lorelai said. "You said the Bahama…mians were real nice. The Bahamites? The Bahamamamamians?" She asked looking at her daughters for guidance.

"The Bahamians." Rory nodded.

"Yes. You said they were really nice." Lorelai nodded.

"They were nice." Emily agreed.

"So, what are your plans then?"

"We're not going anywhere this year." Emily said sullenly.

"Why not?" Rory asked. Emily gestured towards Richard who had gone back to his food. "Oh...well it can be really nice just to stay at home sometimes as well because you can do fun things that you normally wouldn't have time for." She said trying to put a positive spin on it.

"Yeah, like play Running Charades. Oooh or getting out that Slip 'n Slide." Charlotte joked.

"We'll see." Richard said.

"Yes, we'll see." Emily sighed.

"Would you all excuse me?" Richard said suddenly getting up. "I have to make some calls. Say goodbye before you leave, will you?"

"Yeah...uh...sure Dad." Lorelai said and they all watched him leave the room. She turned back to her mother. "God when is all this awfulness with work going to resolve itself?" She exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Emily exclaimed. "The man is so sensitive. He reads so much into every little perceived slight."

"Yeah. I remember one time when I was a kid, Dad had put on some weight, and he bought a new suit to try to cover it up. And he wore it for us and he asked us how he looked and I told him he looked fat." Lorelai said but stopped, glancing up at her daughters who were smirking and her mother who was glaring at her. "But I guess that wasn't really a perceived slight..." She said. "I'll think of another example."

* * *

Lorelai, Sookie, Charlotte and Rory were all sat at a table at Luke's looking miserable.

"I've got thirty pounds of aged beef, trays and trays of trout and mountains of pruned tarts. I diced pumpkins until my hands turned orange. I've got pumpkin hands! Sookie exclaimed.

"Take a sip." Lorelai said sympathetically gesturing to her coffee.

"How can you stay so calm about this? We've been organising this event for a week!" Sookie said.

"I know but there's nothing we can do about it." Lorelai sighed.

"I can't believe they got snowed in." Rory said.

"All that work, all that extra help we hired." She sighed. "At least they paid for it already. We didn't lose any money."

"Yeah I guess." Sookie sighed. "You know, I could still make up the dinner for the four of us." She suggested.

"Yeah, but then it would be like the four of us, all alone in the dining room." Charlotte said.

"Yeah it would be like The Shining, except instead of Jack Nicholson, we have Rune." Lorelai joked.

Just then Luke walked over to them. "Do you want anything besides coffee?" He asked.

"Hey, what about Luke?" Sookie said suddenly.

"What about him?" Lorelai asked.

"He eats, and Jess eats." She said turning to Charlotte. "Doesn't Jess eat?" She asked.

Charlotte smirked. "Yep I can confirm that Jess eats." She nodded.

"What's she doing?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"I think she's inviting you for dinner." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, come on, join us! It'll be fun, I promise." Sookie grinned. "Do you like Peacock Pie?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure I don't." Luke said dryly.

"There'll be normal food too." Charlotte grinned at him.

"And decorations." Rory quipped.

"And music." Sookie added.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Lorelai grinned.

"Well..." Luke said.

"Hey, you know what?" Lorelai said warming up to the idea. "Let's invite everyone!"

"Everyone who?" Sookie asked.

"Everyone everyone!"

"Everyone everyone who?" Sookie asked not getting it.

"Everyone we know, everyone we like! Everyone from this town!" Lorelai beamed.

" Yeah and they could even stay in the inn. All those empty rooms, all those uneaten pillow mints." Rory said.

"Cool! An out of control, over the top slumber party!" Charlotte grinned.

"I love it!" Sookie grinned.

"Me too!" Lorelai grinned. She turned to Luke. "Done! Spread the word!"

"I haven't said I'd come yet so I'm certainly not about to become your messenger boy." He grumbled. He sighed as Lorelai pouted at him. "Eight o'clock?"

"Seven." She grinned.

"Right." He sighed walking off.

* * *

Lorelai was sat on the couch in the Crap Shack while Charlotte was sat in the armchair. Rory walked in with some drinks.

"Hey, did Bootsy RSVP?" She asked.

"Yeah, he's coming." Rory nodded.

"Thanks. Is he bringing anybody?" Lorelai asked.

"He's coming solo." Rory said.

"Do you think he just suddenly got a girlfriend?" Charlotte joked.

"Well you never know." Lorelai grinned. "Ok, I'm going to put him in room 16 with Luke." She joked looking down at her room plan.

"You're mean." Rory laughed.

"Come on, let me have my fun!" Lorelai joked.

"You forget Jess is coming too." Rory pointed out.

"Well, I'll put Jess in with Miss Patty." She grinned.

"Mom!" Charlotte exclaimed. "There would be no Jess left in the morning." She said. "If you really want to put Luke with Bootsy, Jess and I can share a room." She joked.

"What?" Lorelai whipped her head off. "No. No way!" She said quickly.

"Mom, I was just kidding." Charlotte laughed. "Geez, you need to chill..."

"Oh...well..." Lorelai said trying to get the image of her daughter and Jess sharing a room out of her head. "So Jess and Luke in room 16." She said focusing back on her room plan.

Rory gave her sister a look for trying to stir things up before picking up a pile of cards from the table. "Are these last year's cards or this year's?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"This year's, of course." Lorelai said.

"Hey, don't scoff! Last year's set were still sitting here until Halloween." She pointed out.

"If that's a crack at my housekeeping skills...well then, okay." Lorelai shrugged.

"Ooh let me see too! I haven't seen these yet." Charlotte said.

Rory sat on the arm of the armchair with Charlotte and they flipped through them together. "Oh hey, it's dad." She said as they both looked at their dad's Christmas card.

"And the woman I'm assuming is Sherry." Charlotte said looking at it with interest.

"Uh...did I not show you that?" Lorelai asked cringing.

"Aw they've got a cute little puppy and everything." Charlotte said.

"I must have put it in the stack and forgotten to tell you both about it." Lorelai rambled. "Well, there it is."

"Nice looking lady." Rory commented.

"Yeah...she is...like a young Tammy Faye Baker." Lorelai said uncomfortably.

"Prettier than that." Charlotte said.

"Oh, I didn't mean not pretty." Lorelai said quickly. "Hey, question about the room list?" She said trying to take the attention away from the card.

"Yeah?" Rory asked.

"Room 31. Why is it empty?" She asked.

Rory and Charlotte exchanged a glance. "Oh yeah...well we wanted to run an idea by you." Rory said.

"Run it."

"We thought maybe a certain depressed man and his wife could stay there." Rory said hesitantly.

"Who?" Lorelai asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa." Charlotte said.

"Urgh, you've got to be kidding." Lorelai groaned.

"But this could help to cheer him up." Rory protested.

"Yeah come on, mom! Grandma would like it as well." Charlotte said.

"Urgh fine...I'll pencil them in, but they'll probably say no." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, but we're not going hope that they say no, right?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah sure!" Lorelai said totally unconvincingly.

* * *

The night of the Bracebridge Dinner finally arrived and Charlotte and Rory were in the lobby of the inn ready to greet their guests.

"How's Sookie doing in there?" Charlotte asked as Lorelai joined them.

"Oh well, you know, she's paper bagging it." Lorelai said.

"What?" Rory asked confused.

"You know..." Lorelai said miming breathing into a pretend bag.

"Oh, so she's right on schedule then." Charlotte laughed.

"She'll be fine." Lorelai nodded.

Babette and Morey walked into the inn at that moment.

"Hey dolls!" Babette smiled at the three of them.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled fondly at their eccentric neighbours.

"Hi, welcome!" Rory smiled.

"Are we the first ones here?" Morey asked.

"Yep!" Charlotte said.

"Now don't you freak out." Babette told Morey. "Morey hates being the first anywhere. He thinks it hurts his street credibility." She told them.

"Charlie Parker was late to everything." Morey said.

"You guys arre in room 8. It's all ready for you." Charlotte said hiding a smirk as she handed them their key.

"Thanks, doll." Babette smiled at her. "Come on Morey. We can be late for dinner if it'll make you feel better." She said as they walked off.

Lane walked in at that moment and rushed over to them. "Hey!" She smiled at them.

"Hey!" Rory smiled.

"Are you alone?" Charlotte asked.

"Lane!" Mrs Kim's voice rang out as she entered the inn.

"My wedding night's going to be very interesting." She joked.

"Hi Mrs. Kim. I'm glad you guys could come. You are in room 12." Rory smiled politely at her.

"Thank you. Hello Lorelai, thank you for inviting us." Mrs Kim said politely.

"Oh it's our pleasure." Lorelai smiled. "Do you need help bringing in the rest of your stuff?"

"This is my stuff. I don't need any more stuff. People have too much stuff." Mrs Kim said firmly.

"You know you're right." Lorelai nodded. "People have too much stuff. Absolutely!"

"Says the woman with 64 pairs of shoes." Charlotte smirked. "Poor Lane."

"At least she's still here." Rory said.

"Hey, what is Paris doing here?" Lorelai asked as she saw Paris walk in. "And Tristan...?" She said surprised as he came in after Paris.

"Paris had to bring me the newspaper stuff tonight. She just couldn't wait." Rory said. "I have no idea what Tristan is doing here though." She frowned, looking at Charlotte. "Do you know?"

"I may have mentioned it to him." She shrugged.

"What? When?" Rory exclaimed.

"Uh...I don't know. The other day. We are friends. We do talk, you know." Charlotte said.

"Why did you have to invite him to this though?"

"I didn't." Charlotte said. "Maybe he wanted to see you." She shrugged.

"Charlie!"

Charlotte sighed. "Look I'll go talk to him. You deal with Paris." She said walking off to Tristan.

Rory sighed as she watched Charlotte chat with Tristan. She walked over to Paris to deal with the newspaper stuff.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled at Tristan.

"Hey." He said. "Thought I'd come to check this out." He said.

"Or check someone out." Charlotte smirked, glancing over at Rory.

"What? No." He protested weakly. "I didn't know this was a Chilton get together though." He joked gesturing over to Paris.

"Newspaper stuff." Charlotte explained.

"Oh." Tristan said understanding.

"So are you going to stay for the dinner?" She asked him.

"Will that be allowed?" Tristan asked glancing over at Rory.

"Oh it'll be cool." Charlotte said. "Looks like Rory may have just invited Paris so why not?"

"Sure ok. Why not?" Tristan said.

"Great!" Charlotte grinned. She was distracted by Luke and Jess walking in. "I need to go. See you later." She smiled at Tristan and then went to join her mom in greeting Luke and Jess.

Tristan nodded and watched as Paris talked on the phone in Portuguese, probably to her nanny. He slowly walked over to Rory. "So..uh..Charlotte invited me to stay for the dinner? Is that ok?"

"Doesn't matter to me." Rory said.

"Really?" Tristan asked.

"Well Charlotte invited you. I can hardly say no, can I?" She said.

"Oh...right." Tristan said despondently.

"I need to say hi to my grandparents." She suddenly said seeing them come in.

"Oh ok." He said watching her walk away.

After greeting their grandparents who were surprisingly in a good mood, Rory and Charlotte waited in the reception area chatting with guests while Lorelai went to check in with Sookie. The guests were mingling when Lorelai reappeared.

"Hey everybody, will you gather round?" She smiled. "First of all, I want to welcome you to the first annual and probably never ever to be held again because Sookie's on the verge of a nervous breakdown Bracebridge Dinner." She joked.

"I'm fine, everything's fine." Sookie said nervously.

"I also want to thank Mother Nature for snowing in the Trelling Paper Company in Chicago so I can throw this great party for all my friends instead." She continued "It's a very special night. And so, since I don't get to eat unbelievably strange food with my friends everyday, I have arranged a little surprise. Outside, as we speak, is a line of horse drawn sleighs and everybody gets a ride. So line up and keep it orderly. There's two per sleigh and no cutting in front of each other. That goes for everyone." She said. "Except me, because I'll be damned if I'm going to miss a ride in a horse drawn sleigh. Come on." She grinned.

Charlotte wandered over to Luke and Jess and overheard their conversation.

"You going to go?" Luke asked Jess.

"I think I'll wait for the clog dancing." Jess said dryly.

Charlotte smirked. "So you don't want to go on a sleigh with me then? Bummer. I guess I'll have to find some other guy to accompany me." She joked.

Jess smirked. "Well when you put it like that, I guess I could make an exception." He said.

"Yay! Come on!" She grinned grabbing his arm and dragging him outside.

* * *

Lorelai was sat in one of the sleighs outside the inn when she spotted Luke admiring the horses. "Hey you in the belt! Get in!" She grinned.

"What?" Luke said looking up. "Oh, no, I was just sort of checking things out." He said.

"Come on. We can take down Taylor's sleigh." She joked.

"I don't know, I..." Luke said trying to protest.

"Aw, come on Luke! I can't be all school marmy and ride by myself. Please?" She said.

Luke sighed. "Well, ok." He said getting into the sleigh.

Lorelai grinned and their sleigh started moving. "God the town looks beautiful doesn't it?" She smiled.

"Same as always." Luke said.

"No, it's always different his time of year. It's magical." Lorelai insisted.

"If you say so, sure." Luke said. "Oh look, there's the magical plumbing supply store where I bought a magical float for my toilet last week." He mocked.

"You disappoint me." Lorelai shook her head.

"Oh and look over there! There's the magical Luke's Diner right underneath the apartment that Jess magically lit by leaving every stinking light on." He said.

Lorelai glanced over at him. "How's it going with you guys?" She asked.

"Me and Jess? Great." Luke nodded.

"Great? Really?"

"Really."

"Well, good." Lorelai said.

Luke glanced over at her. "You don't have to pretend." He said.

"What?" She said surprised.

"I know you aren't exactly Jess' biggest fan." He said.

"Luke..." Lorelai said quietly.

"No it's fine. I get it." He said. "I understand why you'd be worried. He's dating your daughter. It's natural."

Lorelai sighed. "I just...I don't want Charlotte to get hurt. I know you probably don't want to hear this but I don't trust that kid. There's something about him." She said.

"I get it." Luke said. "If it was my daughter, I'd probably feel the same. But Charlotte's a good influence on Jess. And I think he really likes her. Do you really think I'd let this happen if I didn't believe that? I don't want Charlotte getting hurt either."

Lorelai's expression softened. "I know." She said. "I just...I've tried. But it's hard."

"Well try a bit harder then. I know Jess isn't exactly the easiest person to get along with but you might get surprised if you get to know him." He said. "He's a good kid deep down."

Lorelai sighed. "I know you're right ok?" She said. "I'll try but if he hurts her..."

"Then we will kill him together." Luke joked.

Lorelai smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

Luke nodded.

Lorelai glanced at him. "I'm sorry." She said.

"It's fine." He assured her.

"You seem mad..." She said cautiously.

"Not at you." He said.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Luke sighed. "You know Jess has some time off from school? I'm assuming Rory and Charlotte do too." He said getting a nod in return. "Well his mom knew that and she never called." He said.

"Urgh, that makes me sick." Lorelai said actually feeling a pang of sympathy for Jess.

"I decided just to keep Jess with me, and I know him and Charlotte have made plans anyway so I told him that his mom wanted him to come home but I thought since he just got there and was still adjusting that I thought he should stay. I told him his mom was really upset but I insisted." Luke said.

"You think he bought that?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well at least he will know you want him here." Lorelai said.

"Yeah I guess..." Luke sighed.

Lorelai looked at him and felt like a jerk for slagging off Jess in front of him when it was obvious he was just trying to do right by his family. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely.

"It's not your fault." He said.

"I'm going to try ok? I mean it." She said softly.

Luke glanced at her and gave him a small smile. "Thank you." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile a few sleighs in front of them was Charlotte and Jess. Jess was being unusually quiet.

"Are you ok?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said.

"How did you get that cut under your eye?" She asked.

"Oh it was nothing." He said.

"Jess?" Charlotte frowned.

"I got in a fight at school, that's all." Jess said gruffly.

"A fight? Why?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Because Chuck Presby's a jerk." He grumbled.

"You were fighting Chuck Presby?

"Yup."

"Oh, he is a jerk." Charlotte nodded. She glanced at him. "Have you heard from your mom at all?"

"Nope." He said.

"Doesn't that bother you?" She asked.

"Nope." He said.

Charlotte sighed. "Now who's turn is it to be succinct." She mumbled.

"Well not everyone can have a crazy close relationship with their mom." Jess retorted.

"Hey!" Charlotte said hurt.

"Sorry." Jess said regretting it. "Look, what I meant is that I don't care. She has her life, I have mine. I'd much rather stay here." He shrugged.

"Really?" She asked surprised. "I thought you hated it here."

"Yeah, well it isn't too bad." Jess said giving her a small smile.

Charlotte reciprocated the action. "Well I'm glad you're here." She said softly snuggling up to him under the blanket.

Jess put his arm round her. "I'm sorry about what I said about your relationship with your mom. I don't think it's crazy. I envy it." He admitted. "You're lucky."

Charlotte smiled at that. "Yeah I am lucky." She said thinking about her mom. She glanced at him. "I know you and my mom started off on the wrong foot..."

"She hates me." He said.

"She doesn't." Charlotte protested.

"Really?" Jess said raising his eyebrows.

"Ok maybe she isn't your biggest fan but can you blame her? She never told me what you said to her that first night but I can imagine. Can't you both just try to get along? For my sake?" She asked. "It would really mean a lot to me."

Jess sighed. "Fine." He said.

"Thank you." Charlotte smiled.

"That's good." Jess said nodding towards the snowmen.

"What?"

"Your snowman. Snowwoman, actually." He smirked.

"You know which one is ours?" Charlotte asked excitedly.

"It definitely has the most personality. Kind of looks like Bjork." He nodded.

"That's what we were going for." She grinned.

"Yeah?"

"Everyone thinks the one on the end is going to be the winner though." Charlotte sighed.

"Really? It's so overdone." Jess said.

"We thought that." Charlotte said.

"You should win."

"No argument." She grinned.

* * *

Rory had gotten into a sleigh and was ready to enjoy the peaceful ride when suddenly Tristan jumped in next to her. "What are you doing?" She exclaimed.

"Your mom said it was no less than two to a sleigh. You were breaking the rules." He smirked.

"You could have hurt yourself." She said.

"I live on the edge." He shrugged. "I can jump out if you want."

"Makes no difference to me." Rory said crossing her arms.

"Ok." Tristan said. He glanced at her. "Ok it kind of looks like it does make a difference to you." He commented.

"You really do think highly of yourself don't you?" She retorted.

Tristan put his hands up in mock surrender. "Ok. You don't care. Fine." He said looking out at the town.

Rory glanced at him. "Why did you really come?" She asked after a moment.

"What?" He asked turning to her.

"Why did you come here today?" She repeated.

"Charlotte told me about it. I thought I'd check it out." Tristan shrugged.

"That's it? That's the only reason you came? To check out the event?" Rory narrowed her eyes.

"Why? What other reason do you expect me to say?" He challenged her.

"Nothing. I was just..." She faltered. "Doesn't matter." She grumbled.

"Ok." Tristan said.

"Look I just broke up with Dean ok?" She said but her voice was less accusing and a bit softer.

"Ok.." Tristan said confused.

"I...I'm not ready for another relationship yet." She admitted. "I need time to...wallow." She said. "And you constantly being around and coming here...isn't helping me."

"Sorry?" He said still confused.

Rory sighed. "No you don't have to be sorry. I just...look there might be something between us ok?" She admitted. "But I need to take some time."

"Ok." He nodded. "Can we be friends though?" He asked.

Rory smiled at that. "I'd like that." She said.

Tristan smiled. "Ok well as your friend, can we go out for coffee sometime?" He said with his trademark smirk.

"Tristan!" Rory laughed. "What did I just say?"

"Hey, don't friends get coffee together?" He smirked.

"I guess..." She said.

"Well why can't we then? If we're friends, what's to stop us?" He asked.

"You don't give up, do you?" Rory said with a slight smirk.

"Nope." Tristan smirked. "So what do you say?"

"If it will shut you up then yes, I will go get some coffee with you sometime." She rolled her eyes.

"Ok. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship Louis." He smirked.

"You watched it!" She grinned.

"Yep." He nodded. "Great film."

"It is a great film." She grinned.

* * *

After the dinner ended successfully, apart from Richard admitting he had retired from his work, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were in their room at the inn getting ready for bed.

"Isn't it always nice to end a big festive meal with a big festive fight?" Lorelai joked.

"Most people didn't notice anything." Rory said.

"I guess. Bootsy singing Hotel California accompanied by spoons drew people's attention away." Lorelai nodded.

"Did Grandma and Grandpa say a word to each other the rest of the night?" Charlotte asked.

"No." Lorelai said.

"Why didn't he tell anyone?" Rory asked.

"I'm sorry, are you asking me to interpret my parents' motives?"

"My mistake. So which bed do you want?" Rory rolled her eyes.

"You two take the one by the window." She said

"Ok. Hey, have you heard from Dad recently?" Rory asked.

"What dad? Your dad?" Lorelai asked shiftily.

"Yeah, our dad..." Rory said exchanged a confused look with Charlotte.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because he usually checks in this time of year and he hasn't checked in yet." Charlotte said. "I mean, I know he's probably busy with Sherry and the new apartment and...what?" She said as she noticed their mom's look.

"There may have been a call." She admitted.

"There may have been? You don't remember?" Rory asked confused.

"Well things have been so hectic, you know, with the Bracebridge Dinner, and...uh...building a snowwoman..." She rambled quickly.

"Mom?" Charlotte frowned.

"Yes, he called!" She admitted. "He called ok? He called and invited you both and it's not too late to go." She said. "He called and invited you, so there you go. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"He invited us over?" Rory clarified.

"Yes! What, are you deaf?" She exclaimed.

"No, I'm just trying to separate the gist from the ubububah!" Rory said.

"Well the gist is he invited you, ok?" Lorelai sighed.

"Why didn't he invite us himself?" Charlotte asked.

"Because he's pretending to be considerate by running it past me first." She said.

"Was he maybe not pretending to be considerate, and actually being considerate?" Rory asked.

"Maybe." She sighed. "But I wouldn't put it past him to be inconsiderate. The guy doesn't have the greatest track record." She pointed out.

"Why didn't you tell us? He's probably waiting for our answer, and holding off making plans." Charlotte said.

"Because I have dibs on this time of year with you, not him! Me! And yes, he acknowledged that, and that was cool and all, but still! It stinks! Because he put me in a very difficult position because we were supposed to watch a lot of movies and make fun of Godfather 3, and the thing that I really really hate about this is...is the idea of you not hanging out with me because you're hanging out there with your stupid stepmother." Lorelai ranted.

"You're calling Sherry our stepmother?" Charlotte asked amused.

"Well, she practically is." Lorelai said.

"You're wigging." Rory shook her head.

"There is something wrong with that woman!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You don't even know her." Rory pointed out.

"You think I'm overreacting?"

"I think you're jealous of Sherry." Rory nodded.

"Ha! I'm not jealous of Sherry." Lorelai denied.

"Please, you so are!" Charlotte said.

"But we understand...your territory has been threatened." Rory said.

"Excuse me?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah but relax, there are ways to work through situations like this. Compromises can be struck." Charlotte nodded playing along.

"Oh, what are you going on about?

"Well, you know, we can still call you Mom and we'll call her Mommy Sherry." Rory smirked.

"Don't be mean." Lorelai mumbled.

"And we can split up holidays evenly. Like, we'll be with you on Labor Day..." Charlotte smirked.

"Ok..." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah and her on Memorial Day." Rory nodded.

"Ok enough." Lorelai said.

"We'll have to find out about her religion though to see how Chanukah will factor into this, unless you want to convert to Judaism and then take over Chanukah for yourself." Charlotte grinned.

"I get your point ok? I overreacted. Please stop." She said.

"You totally overreacted. God!" Rory said getting into the bed alongisde Charlotte.

Lorelai looked over at them. "So do you think you're going to go and stay with them?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'll have to think about it." Rory said.

"Me too." Charlotte said.

"Do you have to think about it because you know that it's killing me not to know whether you're going or not and you want to torture me like that?" Lorelai said.

"Nope, I just don't know if I want to do it." Rory admitted.

"Same here." Charlotte agreed.

"Oh. Ok." Lorelai said.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Lorelai went to open it and Emily burst in.

"I need a new room." She demanded.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"I can't stay in that room!"

"There are no other rooms, Mom."

"Well, then I'll go home!" She exclaimed dramatically.

"Grandma, it's late." Rory said.

"And pitch black." Charlotte said. "The roads are icy. It's dangerous."

"Well, I'm not going back to that room." She said stubbornly.

"I'm guessing you and Dad had it out about the job thing?" Lorelai asked.

"We haven't even spoken since dinner. I'm so upset, I wouldn't know where to begin. And I couldn't take being around him anymore. What he did is inexcusable. Not letting me know he left his job...as if it didn't affect me!" Emily exclaimed.

"Mom, try to calm down. Here, you can share my bed." Lorelai sighed.

"I'm just a burden." She said quietly.

"You're not a burden, Mom." Lorelai said softly.

"Well, ok, thank you. Can I use the mirror in the bathroom for a second?" She asked.

"Yes, I'll use the one out here." Lorelai said.

Charlotte and Rory watched as both their mom and Grandma applied cream to their faces and exchanged an amused look.

"Wow." Rory said.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Behold our future." Charlotte joked. They both laughed as their mom realised what they meant.

"How do you turn out the light?" Emily asked coming out of the bathroom.

"I'll get it." Lorelai said.

"I still can't believe it." She said getting into the bed. "It was so irresponsible."

"Maybe he had no choice?"

"Of course he had a choice. Go to sleep Lorelai." Emily snapped.

"That job was killing him, Mom. It was killing him." Lorelai said softly.

Emily suddenly got up after a moment. "I'm going for a little walk." She said.

"Grandma, it's late." Rory said.

"I'm not tired." She said before leaving the room.

"Our family ladies and gentlemen!" Lorelai joked.

"I think I'm going to go and check on her." Charlotte said getting up heading for the door.

"Hang on a minute." Lorelai said sitting up.

"What?" Charlotte said innocently.

"You're going to check on your Grandma?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said.

"So you're not going to meet up with a certain leather jacket wearing guy in a previously discussed location?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know who you're talking about." She said innocently.

"Charlie..."

Charlotte sighed. "We were just going to hang in the library." She said. "We hardly got to talk to each other all evening. I know you don't like him but I do and I just want some time with him..." She rambled quickly.

"Go." Lorelai said.

"And we're not going to do anything. We'll just hang out in the library and...wait what?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Go see Jess." She said.

"Seriously?"

"Look, I'm not completely happy with you and Jess but I'm trying ok? So go." She said. "Before I change my mind." She added with a slight smirk.

"I love you mom!" Charlotte grinned rushing over to give her a hug and then rushed out of the room.

"I love you too." Lorelai said quietly after she had left.

* * *

After saying goodbye to all their guests the following morning, Lorelai turned to her daughters. "Let's go home." She smiled.

"Are we coming to get our bags later?" Rory asked.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"Because we're walking home. I don't want to carry them." Rory said.

"Who says we're walking?" Lorelai grinned leading them outside where a horse-drawn sleigh was waiting for them.

"This is the only way to ride." Charlotte grinned as they rode through the town.

"I wholeheartedly agree." Lorelai grinned. "Whoa, what happened there?" She said gesturing over to the smashed elaborate overdone snowman.

"I have no idea." Rory said.

"Me neither." Charlotte said with a slight smirk.

"Bad news for ringer guy. But guess who wins by default?" Lorelai grinned.

"I guess that would be us." Rory smiled.

"Yep!" Charlotte grinned.

Rory glanced over at Charlotte and smirked. "So you and Jess stay in the library all the time last night?" She asked quietly so that their mom couldn't hear.

"I plead the fifth." Charlotte said innocently, her eyes twinkling.

 **I hope you liked it! I really do love reading your reviews so please keep them coming! Thanks! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for your continued support! I really do appreciate it! :) Here's the next chapter! By the way I may miss out episodes if I don't think they add anything although I may reference them. :)**

Chapter 7

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory arrived at the Gilmore Mansion for their weekly dinner.

"Thanks mom." Lorelai said as her mom opened the door. "God, it's cold out there!" She exclaimed.

"I know, I'm freezing!" Charlotte nodded.

"Me too!" Rory said.

"Well, come on in and sit by the fire." Emily said. "I'll make you all a drink and then we can talk."

"About what?" Rory asked.

"Antennas up." Lorelai whispered to both of her daughters.

"Aye aye, captain!" Charlotte said.

They followed Emily through to the living room and sat down on the couches. "So Lorelai, how are you?" She asked as she prepared the drinks.

"Uh, I'm fine Mom." Lorelai said.

"Rory? Charlotte?" Emily asked.

"We're fine too, Grandma." Charlotte answered.

"How are you, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Also fine." Emily smiled giving them all their drinks and then sitting down next to Lorelai.

"Oh well will you look at that! All four of us fine!" Lorelai joked.

"So Lorelai, are you dating?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Uh...no mom, I'm not dating." Lorelai said, glaring at her daughters who had nearly choked on their drinks trying to hide their laughter.

"Really? There's no one at all?" She pressed on.

"No, I'm totally single." Lorelai said confused.

"Any chance you will get back with Max?" She asked.

"What? No mom, there's no chance." Lorelai frowned.

"What about the man at the diner, the one who refuses to shave?" Emily asked.

"You mean Luke?" Charlotte smirked. "Well some people would say they were..."

"He's just a friend, mom." Lorelai interrupted Charlotte.

"Do you think you'll be single your entire life?" Emily kept going.

"What?" Lorelai asked totally confused.

"I mean, in terms of you finding someone, what do you think the odds are?"

"Ok, what is going on?" She gave in.

"Well, I visited the family mausoleum today." Emily told them.

"It's never what you think it's going to be!" Lorelai said to Rory and Charlotte who laughed.

"I just wanted to check on things and make sure they were keeping it up. Like changing the flowers and stuff, you know?" She said.

"Sure." Lorelai said.

"So I went inside and looked around and it occurred to me that there's very limited space left there." Emily continued.

"Ok..."

"Now of course there's a slot open for me and Richard and you, Charlotte and Rory. But after the three of you, that's it. There's no more room for anyone else." She said.

"Ah..." Lorelai said now understanding.

"Yes. So if you actually do meet someone someday, I don't know where to put him."

"Well, maybe we could just dump him at the local pool hall." Lorelai joked.

"Oh don't be silly!"

"No, because this is definitely not a conversation for that." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"I've looked into expanding into the crypt next door but the family that owns it wouldn't even discuss it with me." Emily said frustrated.

"Ok I'm getting a little creeped out here." Rory said.

"So I talked to the head of the cemetery and he suggested that we buy an annex." Emily continued.

"An annex?" Charlotte asked amused by the conversation.

"Yes. So if we do get the annex and you do eventually someday get married..." She said.

"Mom, just say it. Fat chance." Lorelai said.

"No, I just meant that we'll have to decide who to move to the annex." Emily said.

"Oh...well...uh...ooh! Why don't we move Aunt Cecile? She was always so annoying at parties. She loved the knock-knock jokes." Lorelai suggested.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed.

"What?"

"You can't just kick out Aunt Cecile!" Rory exclaimed.

"Knock-knock. Who's there? Pineapple. Pineapple who? That's where it ended! Never fully grasped the knock-knock concept." Lorelai said.

"Yeah move her! Anyone who can't tell a knock-knock joke should get punished." Charlotte grinned.

"She was a complete idiot." Emily nodded. "Ok, it's decided. Cecile goes." She said.

"Good." Lorelai nodded.

"Look, just put me in the annex." Rory said.

"What, and leave me with our insane family?" Charlotte quipped. "No thanks! I need you there next to me."

"Hey!" Lorelai said indignantly.

"Well I'm not going to be held responsible for somebody being kicked out of their eternal resting place." Rory said.

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Lorelai grinned. "I'll probably go first, right? So when Rory and Charlotte kick the bucket, just throw them in with me."

"Uh no! I'd like my own space if you don't mind." Rory said.

"Me too!" Charlotte said.

"Why? It would be so much fun to be there together. Plus I plan to be buried with all the good CD's and my rock star belt." Lorelai joked.

Just then Richard came down the stairs. "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?" He asked.

"We were just discussing who to move to the annex." Emily told him.

"Oh. Well I vote for Cecile. Horrible woman, and those terrible jokes..." He said.

"See! What did I tell you?" Lorelai told her daughters.

"This is a cold, cold family." Rory shook her head.

"Yeah but it's our family." Charlotte grinned at her sister.

Later that evening, they were all sat round the dining room table eating dinner.

"This is really good." Lorelai complimented.

"Yeah, what is it?" Rory asked.

"Well, it's..." Emily started.

"No don't tell us!" Charlotte interrupted.

"I agree!" Lorelai said.

"Why not?" Rory asked.

"Because every time in my life that I've tasted something great but I didn't know what it was, it turned out to be something really disgusting!" Lorelai said. "If I had known what I was eating I never would have tried it in the first place."

"Example?" Rory asked.

"Snails." Lorelai said.

"Gross."

"Exactly my point! Eat in ignorance and enjoy it, my friend." Lorelai said.

"Gladly."

"So Grandpa, how's retired life treating you?" Charlotte asked.

"Fascinating actually." He said. "I find myself noticing things, everyday things that I must have witnessed a hundred times before but just walked right past. Like yesterday, your mother moved a vase, the one in the hall, and she didn't do it in front of me. And she had only moved it a little but as I passed it by, I noticed it had been moved."

"Impressive." Rory said, stifling a smirk when she looked across at Charlotte.

"And every day's a new discovery. Your mother changed her hair. Or she wore shoes that didn't match her purse." He continued.

"Richard!" Emily protested.

"Last Thursday." He pointed out.

"Oh, for heaven's sake." She exclaimed.

"You know what else I noticed?" He asked.

"What?" Rory asked.

"A first edition Flaubert, mint condition, shoved behind several of my Churchill biographies." He smiled.

"No way!" Rory exclaimed excitedly.

"Interested?" He asked.

"Definitely!" She grinned.

"Follow me." He smiled getting up and Rory followed him to his study.

"Ooh Dad, see if you can find a pair of the new Chanel patent leather pirate boots stuffed back behind your Churchills!" Lorelai joked.

"Or some state of the art paints!" Charlotte quipped.

"Hmm..." He said.

"I suddenly don't feel very important." Charlotte joked.

Lorelai smirked at her daughter and then noticed her mother looking stressed. "What's up mom?" She asked.

"Nothing's up." She said.

"You were twitching. I saw you." Lorelai pointed out.

"You did not see me twitching." Emily protested.

"I saw it too, Grandma. It was when Grandpa was talking about the vase." Charlotte said.

"Is something wrong?" Lorelai asked.

"No, nothing's wrong." Emily repeated.

"Hmm...ok, nothing's wrong." Lorelai shrugged.

"It's just that things are a little strange lately." Emily sighed.

"What is?" Charlotte asked.

"Having him home. We've never really been home at the same time. I mean, we got married, we went to Europe, we came back, he went to work, and it's been that way ever since." She said.

"Well...so now it's different." Lorelai said.

"It's very different! He's always here! Watching me and noticing when I move a vase and...I don't know, it's silly." She sighed. "So he noticed my hair was different. Women die for that sort of thing."

"Aw Mom, it's just an adjustment. You've had your routine, he's had his routine. You guys just need to figure out a new routine." Lorelai tried to reassure her.

"I guess so." She sighed.

"Yeah, it'll just take some time, Grandma!" Charlotte encouraged.

"Yes, you're probably right." She agreed.

"Ok, I give." Lorelai said. "What is this?" She asked gesturing to her food.

"Mom, no!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Sweetbreads." Emily told her.

"And that is...?" Lorelai asked.

"It's none of our business, that's what it is!" Charlotte said.

"Pancreas." Emily said.

"Thanks mom!" Charlotte grimaced pushing her plate away from her. "You just had to ask..."

* * *

"How about a triple feature?" Lorelai said as she walked into the video store with Charlotte and Rory.

"Ooh we could do a Ruth Gordon film festival!" Rory suggested. "Harold and Maude, Rosemary's Baby, and that really great episode of Taxi."

"No way!" Charlotte said.

"I've got it. How about Cool as Ice, Hudson Hawk, and Electric Bugaloo?" Lorelai said.

"Sold." Rory said.

"I'll get the Hawk." Lorelai said.

"And we'll get the Bugaloo." Charlotte said.

Her and Rory headed off to the right section. They leant down to look through the bottom shelf of the videos. Two boys were sitting on the floor looking at a movie box which Charlotte noticed.

"See, I told you." One of the boys were saying.

"Wow." The other boy said.

"Hey guys, can we get in there?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, yeah." The first boy said and they walked off.

Charlotte picked up the movie they were looking at. She frowned and showed it to Rory who also frowned. They found the movie they were looking for and headed to the till to pay.

"Got it!" Lorelai joined them. "Plus four boxes of Red Vines." She grinned.

"Great!" Charlotte said. "Let's pay."

"Hi Kirk." Lorelai said.

"Good evening Lorelai." Kirk said politely.

"Uh...I forgot my card at home but I think my number's 6247." She smiled sweetly at him.

"You forgot your card?" He said.

"I might have lost it." She grinned.

"She did lose it." Charlotte smirked.

"Traitor!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You lost your card?" Kirk asked.

"Maybe." Lorelai said.

"Was it temporary or laminated?" He asked.

"Laminated." Lorelai said.

"That's a permanent card. You lost a permanent card." He said accusingly.

"You can just get me a new card Kirk." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but I hope you understand the gravity of the situation here." Kirk said sternly.

"I'm trying to grasp it." She joked.

"I mean, these cards are agreements. It's an agreement between you and the Stars Hollow Video Store stating that you will take care of your card, that you will honour your card, that you will be very, very nice to your card..." He said.

"Kirk!" Lorelai said, getting out her cell phone which had started to ring.

"I'll be right back." He said.

"Thanks." She rolled her eyes. "I'll just take it outside. The signal sucks in here." She told Rory and Charlotte.

"Ok." Rory said.

"It'll be ready in a minute." Kirk returned.

"Hey Kirk, there were a couple of little kids over there and they were..uh.. looking at this tape cover that was kind of mature." Charlotte said. "You might want to put that stuff on a higher shelf or something."

"Mature? How mature?" He asked.

"It was a half-naked woman just standing there." Rory said.

"Is she a blonde?" Kirk asked.

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"I'll check it out right now." He said walking off.

"It's like talking to a kid." Charlotte joked.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte and Rory were in their bedroom getting ready for school as Lorelai walked in.

"Oh my God, the most horrible thing just happened!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically. "Headmaster Charleston's office called. He's been kidnapped! Two guys broke into his house and threw him in a hefty bag, used those twisty ties and carted him off. Classes have been cancelled until further notice."

"We're going to school, mom." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Girls, come on! It's just one day. I'll write you a note. 'Dear Nazis, Charlotte and Rory have to miss school today on account of saving their mom from spending the entire day with her father who often looks at her like she has three heads.'" She exclaimed.

"Move please." Charlotte said getting something out of her wardrobe.

"Do you know the last time my father and I were alone together for a long period of time?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope." Rory said.

"I'm sure you're about to tell us though." Charlotte said.

"I was kicked out of summer class for refusing to call the camp counsellor Peaches because I thought the entire concept of the counsellors choosing summer fruit names was stupid." Lorelai exclaimed. "So they called my dad and he came to get me and it was just the two of us alone in the car all the way from Maine with nothing to talk about but my camp failure. Luckily I had also flashed the swim team or even that subject would have gone stale." She said.

"Mom, I have the Franklin today. I can't miss it. Unless you want to incur the wrath of Paris." Rory said pointedly.

Lorelai groaned. "Ok fine! But Charlotte, you're not on the paper! You can skip!" She said.

"I have art today. We're being given our main assignment today. I can't miss that." Charlotte said.

"Girls! I can't handle the entire day with him. I can't!"

"Just make it until the afternoon, drama queen and then we promise we'll come right home and take Grandpa off your hands." Charlotte said.

"Fine." She grumbled.

"It'll be fine." Rory said.

"It is not going to be fine. It's going to be horrible." Lorelai said just as the doorbell rang. "And that would be him." She sighed.

"It's not going to be that bad. Be nice." Rory said pointedly as they all walked to the front door together.

"Hi Dad." Lorelai forced a smile on her face as she opened the door.

"Hey Grandpa." Charlotte smiled.

"Hi Grandpa." Rory smiled.

"Good morning girls." He smiled pleasantly at them.

"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Lorelai asked.

"Not at all, the directions were fine." He said.

"Well we have to get going, but we'll see you this afternoon." Rory smiled giving him a hug.

"Yeah bye Grandpa!" Charlotte smiled.

"I look forward to it." He smiled.

"Have fun!" Rory smiled, giving their mom a look before the two of them left.

"So good drive, huh?" Lorelai said.

* * *

"Well, this is it, Luke's." Lorelai said as they walked into the diner.

"You know, when I was in college, there was this horrible little diner across from my apartment building. It was run by this terrible little couple. They were very angry. They would fight, break plates, curse, and I went in there every morning for three years and I had the most dreadful breakfast, just awful. I really miss that place." Richard said as they sat down.

"Morning." Luke said as he came up to his table.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled up at Luke. "Oh Luke, do you remember my father?"

"Oh yeah, nice to see you again." Luke nodded politely at Richard.

"Nice to see you. This is quite a place you've got here." Richard said politely.

"It pays the bills." Luke said.

"Always a plus in business." He chuckled.

"Dad, do you know what you want?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, I already ate." He said.

"You did? When?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Oh, I had breakfast at home. I get up at 5:30 every morning."

"Wow. Why?"

"Well I've gotten up at 5:30 for as long as I can remember."

"Yeah, but that was when you had to work. Now you can afford to get a little crazy, get up at quarter to six." She smirked.

"Go ahead and order Lorelai." He sighed.

"Ok. I'll have a banana, pancakes, side of bacon, and lots and lots of coffee." She grinned up at Luke.

"Coming right up." He said walking away.

"You didn't order any grapefruit." Richard observed.

"Yeah, I don't really like grapefruit." Lorelai said.

"Oh, I always start my breakfast off with half a grapefruit." He said. "It's important to start the day off correctly, Lorelai. A grapefruit is brain food. It has vitamin C and folic acid and it helps with your digestion. It really is a terrific fruit."

"I feel like you're about to break into song." She joked.

"I'm serious about this, Lorelai." He said.

"I know you are but I still don't like grapefruit." She laughed.

"Well, there are many things in life that we don't like but the benefits they bring us far outweigh the temporary discomforts we have to endure."

"Ok!" She sighed. "Hold on a sec." She said going up to the counter. "Hey, I need a grapefruit." She told Luke.

"What?" Luke said.

"Yeah. Before my pancakes this morning I need half a grapefruit and...uh...preferably one that tastes like a donut." She groaned.

"I don't have grapefruit." He said.

"How can you not have grapefruit?" She exclaimed.

"I've never had grapefruit." He pointed out.

"I need a grapefruit!" She exclaimed. She then sighed. "Listen, I have my father with me all day, and so far there's been no major drama or yelling or ugliness but there will be if I don't somehow find a way to get half a grapefruit for breakfast this morning."

"I could go next door to Doose's and buy a grapefruit." Jess said appearing next to Luke.

"Really?" Lorelai asked surprised that Jess had just offered to do something for someone else.

"Beats getting bored stiff here." Jess shrugged.

"Like you ever do any work here anyway." Luke retorted.

"Hey, I can go back upstairs and watch tv if you want me to. But I'm assuming you're kind of needed in here and Charlotte would kill me if I let her mother kill herself because we didn't give her a grapefruit." Jess said dryly.

"Fine. Thanks." Luke said gruffly.

"Thank you!" Lorelai exclaimed. She walked back to the table. "Ok, the grapefruit is coming." She said.

"Oh, you won't be sorry." Richard smiled.

"So listen, I was thinking that maybe after we're done here, you might like to walk around town a little, see the sites." She said. "And then Charlotte and Rory usually get home around four. The three of you can hang out at the house until I get off work and the four of us can hook up for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Very sensible." He nodded.

"Good." She smiled.

* * *

After school, Charlotte headed home while Rory had to stay behind with Paris to discuss The Franklin. She headed to the inn knowing that was where her mom and Grandpa were. She walked into the inn and was nearly suffocated by her mom's hug. "Hey...mom...need...oxygen..." She said.

"Yeah well love hurts! Please get him out of here for a while." Lorelai pleaded pushing her towards Richard.

"Hi Grandpa!" Charlotte smiled at him. "So have you walked around the town?" She asked.

"Oh yes." He nodded. "Seen all the sites."

"Did mom take you to Luke's?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh yes, we went this morning." He nodded.

"Well would you mind going again? I normally go there after school for a snack. Plus you can meet my boyfriend." She smiled.

"Your boyfriend?" Richard asked.

"Yeah he's the nephew of Luke." Charlotte nodded. "Come on, I'll introduce you to him." She smiled leading him out.

A few minutes later, they walked into Luke's and Charlotte led Richard up to the counter. "Hey Luke!" Charlotte smiled.

"Hey Charlotte." He smiled. "Mr Gilmore." He nodded at Richard.

"Nice to see you again." Richard smiled. "My granddaughter told me she always gets a snack here after school so I thought I would tag along."

"Sure." Luke nodded. "You want your usual?" He asked Charlotte.

"Yes please!" Charlotte grinned. "And lots and lots of coffee!"

"You're too much like your mother." Luke grumbled but gave her a small smirk before disappearing to the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Charlotte called after him, grinning.

Charlotte was eating her food and even Richard had a piece of pie when Rory and, to Charlotte's surprise, Paris came in.

"Paris, what are you doing?" Rory said as Paris picked up a menu and started hiding behind it.

"Trying just to blend in, fade away, observe." She said.

"Hey Rory!" Charlotte said. "What are you two up to?" She asked.

"Trying to find the seedy underbelly of Stars Hollow." Rory sighed.

"Sounds fun!" Charlotte grinned.

"Hi Grandpa. Have you had a good day?" She smiled at her Grandpa.

"Yes, very good, thank you." He nodded.

"Hey Rory. Coffee?" Luke asked coming up to them.

"Thanks Luke." She said.

"Who's your friend?" She asked.

"Angela Lansbury." Rory joked.

"Oh."

"You're the owner here?" Paris asked.

"Yup. You want some coffee, Angela?" He asked.

"No thanks." Paris said.

"Ok." Luke said.

"So you run the diner, huh?" She asked.

"Oh boy." Rory said sipping her coffee.

"This should be good." Charlotte whispered to Richard, smirking.

"You get a lot of truckers through here?" Paris asked.

"Truckers?" Luke asked confused, looking at Rory for help but she just shrugged.

"Yeah. You know, guys on the road for weeks, lonely, looking for company, a little pick me up. Things like that." Paris continued.

"What's she talking about?" Luke asked Rory.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Rory said.

"It's pretty common knowledge that diners are breeding grounds for prostitution and drug dealers." Paris said.

"What?" Luke exclaimed.

"Have you ever seen anything like that going down here?" She asked.

"Have I ever...?"

"What about that guy over there? What's his story?" Paris asked.

"Reverend Nichols?"

"Reverend Nichols, huh? What is that, like Dr. Feelgood?"

"Rory, how much do you like this person?" Luke asked Rory.

"Do what you've got to do, Luke." Rory smirked.

Just then Jess appeared from the stairs in the diner.

"Hey, where did he come from? What's up there? Is that where you keep the girls? You got yourself a little cathouse up there?" Paris asked.

"Wow, I think she's got you, Luke." Charlotte teased.

"Yeah Uncle Luke, you better give up now." Jess smirked.

"Do not add to this insanity." Luke glared at both of them.

"What? An innocent boy like me should not be raised in an atmosphere like this!" Jess exclaimed.

"Jess!" Luke grumbled.

"I want to be good, life's just not letting me." Jess said holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Rory, get her out of here." Luke said.

"Ok, let's go." Rory said pulling Paris towards the door. "I'll see you later." She said to Charlotte and Richard.

"Bye!" Charlotte laughed.

"Yes, see you later." Richard said having watched all the interactions with bemusement.

"Why do you need me to leave? What have you got to hide?" Paris shouted.

"Paris, let's go!" Rory said pulling her out the door.

"Well there's nothing like some free entertainment!" Charlotte grinned.

"You two are made for each other." Luke glared at her and Jess before walking off to the kitchen.

"So now you've met Paris!" Charlotte grinned at Jess.

"Yeah. Intense." He smirked.

"Try going to school with her!" She smirked. She glanced at her Grandpa. "Hey Jess? I want you to meet my Grandpa. Grandpa, this is Jess." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Richard nodded at him.

"You too." Jess nodded back.

"So Jess..." Richard started.

"Grandpa, please no interrogation like you did with Dean!" Charlotte begged.

Richard looked down, embarrassed. He glanced up and noticed Jess had taken out a book. "You like Hemingway?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah." Jess nodded.

"He's a good author. You have good taste." Richard said approvingly.

"Try telling that to Rory. Or Charlotte." Jess smirked.

"Hey! I don't read like Rory so that doesn't count!" Charlotte pouted.

"Oh yes, I have been trying to get Rory to read Hemingway for a while now but she hasn't yet." Richard said.

"Same here." Jess said. "I even read Ayn Rand in exchange for her reading a Hemingway but she read one page."

"I read one sentence!" Charlotte chipped in.

"You should give it a try one day." Richard told Charlotte. "He's a good read."

"I'll bear that in mind." Charlotte smirked. She glanced at her watch. "Oh we best get going. Mom will be home soon." She said.

"Oh yes." Richard nodded. "I'll go and pay so you can say goodbye to Jess." He said with a twinkle in his eye before walking over to the till.

"Oh my god, did my Grandpa just use an innuendo?" Charlotte blushed.

"Think so." Jess smirked.

"So...call me later?" Charlotte smiled.

"Sure." He nodded.

Charlotte leant over and kissed him. "Speak later."

"Bye." Jess said.

"Well I never..." Richard said walking over. "He didn't let me pay. He said it was on the house."

"Oh he never lets us pay!" Charlotte said following her Grandpa out.

* * *

That evening, once everyone was home, Lorelai ordered the Chinese food for dinner.

"Why don't you go and collect it?" She smiled at Rory and Charlotte. "It might need both of you considering how much we ordered."

"Sure." Rory said.

"Oh here..." Richard said taking out his wallet.

"Oh no, I've got it." Lorelai said quickly, giving Charlotte some money. "See you in a bit."

"Bye mom!" Charlotte smiled.

"Bye!" Rory smiled.

Lorelai took a deep breath before turning to her dad. "Dad..."

"Can I stop you there?" Richard said. "I think I know what you're going to say but can I say something first?"

"Fine." She sighed.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"What?" She said surprised, totally not expecting that.

"Walking round with Charlotte and going to Luke's with her has made me realise that people don't necessarily do things the same way other places do things." Richard said hesitantly. "I'm not saying it's a bad way." He said quickly about to see Lorelai protest. "I've just realised it's different. So I'm sorry if I overstepped the mark earlier at the inn. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I didn't mean to." He said sincerely.

"Dad..." Lorelai sighed.

"I know why you invited me here today..." He said.

"What?"

"It was because your mother asked you to. She called you up and said I was driving her crazy, and would you please take me off her hands for one day so she can get some peace. Isn't that true?" He asked.

"Dad, no..." Lorelai said ashamed.

"It's ok. I understand. I just wanted you to know that I have enjoyed my day thoroughly and well...I wanted to apologise." Richard said.

"It's ok." Lorelai gave him a small smile.

"So I won't be sent home without dinner as punishment?" He asked, smiling slightly.

Lorelai laughed. "No. You can stay for the Chinese." She said. "I'd like it if you would stay for the food." She added softly, smiling sincerely at her dad.

"Well then I would love to stay. Thank you Lorelai." He smiled.

* * *

Rory and Charlotte walked past the video store, on the way back from Al's, which had their picture in the window.

"Oh my god! I thought you were exaggerating!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Nope." Rory grumbled. "It was Taylor. And Kirk. You seriously thought I was exaggerating?"

"Urgh guess not!" Charlotte grumbled. "I can't believe they called it the Charry curtain!"

"It was Kirk's idea. He thought it was genial to merge our two names together." Rory shook her head.

"Urgh, I can't believe this!"

"Paris got her story though." Rory smirked.

"Well, sure, if Paris got her story..." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Nice picture." Jess said walking up to them.

"Gee, thanks." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"You're very popular right now. I bet if you burn a few books, they'll probably make you mayor." He smirked.

"This is ridiculous!" Rory exclaimed.

"I don't know...I bet you have a lot of supporters on this." Jess smirked.

"Bye." Charlotte glared at him.

"Aw, come on, it's a little funny." He chuckled.

"No! Being the poster girl for censorship is not a little funny!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"The only videos not behind that curtain are Bambi and Dumbo. I mean, they actually had a meeting earlier about whether or not Babe should be behind the curtain so as not to offend people who keep kosher." Rory groaned.

"Seriously?" Charlotte asked.

"It's a crazy world we live in." Jess smirked.

"And where did they even find that stupid picture?" Charlotte grumbled.

"I'd like to know that!" Rory said.

"Oh no, the picture's good." Jess said. "It's the people who are stupid."

"We're never going to be able to leave our house again." Rory said.

"Well, at least you won't starve." Jess smirked gesturing to their huge bag from Al's.

"Urgh...I can't look at it anymore!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Relax. I don't think it'll be around very long." He said.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"Just a guess. See you." He smirked walking away.

"Jess!" Rory called after him.

"Enjoy your food." He called over his shoulder.

"Come back here!" Rory called.

"Why?" He asked.

"I'll give you an eggroll." Rory tried to persuade him.

"Yeah and I will give you something you'll like too!" Charlotte quipped.

"Eww!" Rory exclaimed.

"Sorry." Charlotte smirked.

"Yes ladies?" Jess smirked walking back to them.

"What did you do?" Charlotte grinned.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to make sure whoever rented Dumbo or Bambi gets a little surprise." He joked.

"What kind of surprise?" Rory grinned. "What did you do?"

"You owe me an eggroll." Jess said to Rory. "And you owe me something more than an eggroll." He smirked at Charlotte. "Enjoy your food!" He said and walked off.

"Your boyfriend rocks!" Rory grinned at Charlotte.

"Tell me something I don't know." Charlotte joked, smiling as she watched Jess disappear round the corner. "Come on, we better get home."

"Yeah..." Rory said grimacing at the photo again before following Charlotte. "Let's go." She said.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep leaving me reviews so I can see what you think! Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the delay! My wifi's not been working for days! But I wanted to get a chapter up for you so I'm using my phone's hotspot! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 8

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were stood inside Doose's looking at baskets on display.

"This one?" Charlotte asked.

"Hmm..no." Lorelai said.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"It's too big, it raises expectations." Lorelai pointed out.

"Like there's actually a home-cooked lunch in there?" Rory nodded understanding.

"Instead of whatever is leftover in our refrigerator, exactly." Lorelai nodded.

"Ok, going back on the pile now." Charlotte said.

"Oh, it really is quaint, isn't it?" Lorelai grinned. "The women gets to make a nice lunch basket, the men get to bid on it, and the world rotates backwards on its axis."

"I think it's fun." Charlotte grinned.

"That's because you have a boyfriend to bid on your basket." Rory pointed out, jokingly, although Charlotte could see the sad smile on her sister's face.

"Did you tell him to eat lunch first?" Lorelai joked.

"Hi, I love him, of course! Hey, I'm gonna look in the back." Charlotte smirked.

"Alright, I'll hit the front." Lorelai nodded, heading towards the front of the store with Rory. They bumped into Miss Patty there. "Hey Patty. Shopping for baskets?" She smiled.

"Oh please, I bought my basket weeks ago." Miss Patty said.

"Always prepared." Lorelai joked.

"Well, I'm getting that itch again." She admitted.

"Oh no, Patty, you don't actually need another husband."

"Well, need...no...but want...well that's a different story. Listen darling, do you happen to have change for a dollar?" She asked.

"I think so." Lorelai said looking in her purse. "Here you go." She smiled.

"Oh, thank you so...urgh!" Miss Patty said dropping something out of her wallet.

"I got it." Lorelai smiled bending down to pick it up.

"Oh no, that's okay." She said quickly.

"This is a picture of me." Lorelai said, giving Rory a look as her daughter stifled a laugh.

"It is?" Miss Patty said innocently.

"Yeah. Why do you have a picture of me in your wallet?" Lorelai asked confused.

"Oh...well, it's a very nice picture..."

"Thank you. Why do you have a very nice picture of me in your wallet?"

"I'm a stalker?"

"Or?"

"Or when, in my daily travels, I run across a nice single guy..." She admitted.

"Oh god!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Shut up." She elbowed Rory who was laughing.

"I like to have a visual aid to help me with the wonderful build up I give you." Miss Patty said.

"Patty, I appreciate the gesture but I don't need you to try to set me up." Lorelai sighed.

"You're such a beautiful girl and you deserve a nice guy." Miss Patty said.

"I'll have a nice guy, but let me find him, okay?"

"But you're no good at finding him." She said sadly.

"Patty..." Lorelai sighed.

"Oh, alright." She sighed.

"Thank you. I'll keep this if you don't mind." Lorelai said taking the picture. She gave it to Rory. "Burn it." She said.

"Stubborn girl." Miss Patty said shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was in the back looking at the baskets when Jess appeared behind her.

"Not that one." He said.

Charlotte turned round and grinned. "You get no say in the basket."

"I have to bid on it." Jess said. "Which I still can't believe I actually agreed to."

"You agreed to it because you love me." Charlotte grinned but then she froze realising they hadn't actually said those words yet. She panicked that it would scare Jess away so she continued quickly. "And you have to eat what's inside it and you get no say in that either." She said quickly.

"Great." Jess smirked. "So are you free after this?" He asked.

"Uh I was but I want to go do something quickly." Charlotte said.

"Do what?"

"I want to go see Tristan." She said.

"You want to go see Tristan." Jess repeated slowly.

"Yeah...I need to ask him something." Charlotte said.

"You seem to be seeing Tristan a lot lately." Jess said.

Charlotte frowned. "He's my friend. I go to school with him. I'm allowed to go see my friends."

"Yeah seeing them every other day instead of spending it with your actual boyfriend. How do you think that makes me feel?" Jess said.

"Hang on, are you actually accusing me of liking Tristan? Of cheating on you with Tristan?" Charlotte exclaimed shocked.

"Well you seem to prefer spending time with him than with me." Jess snapped.

"I need to ask him something! It won't take very long and then I'll come find you!" She exclaimed.

"Don't bother." Jess said coldly. "Go enjoy your time with Tristan. Hey, maybe he will bid on your basket? Because your actual boyfriend has better stuff to do than get involved with this town's crazy traditions." He said before walking off.

"Jess!" Charlotte called after him. "Jess wait!" She exclaimed but he didn't look back as he exited the store.

"Everything ok?" Rory asked as Charlotte bumped into them.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah..."

"Are you sure? Did Jess do something?" Lorelai asked concerned.

"No! Everything's fine." Charlotte snapped. "Here, I'm getting this one." She said giving her mom a basket. "Let's pay and get out of here."

"Ok." Lorelai said carefully, exchanging a look with Rory.

* * *

The day of the fundraiser arrived and Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were walking down the street with their baskets.

"You know what's wonderful about this festival?" Lorelai smiled.

"No, what?" Rory asked.

"That it always falls on the day after trash day. Therefore, all the stuff that you forgot to throw out that you would normally be stuck with for another whole week, you can instead put in a pretty basket and auction off for charity." Lorelai grinned.

"Yeah, that is wonderful." Charlotte said quietly.

Rory looked at her sister. She had been like this ever since yesterday when something had happened between her and Jess. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Charlotte said.

"Charlie..."

"I'm fine!" She exclaimed.

Just then, Lane came running up to them so Charlotte was glad for the distraction."Ok, I've got it all worked out." Lane said.

"Tell please." Rory smiled.

"Well, I invited my cousin David to come and bid on my basket, you know, to keep my mother happy." She explained.

"Sure." Charlotte nodded.

"Then when he gets it, we tell my mom we're going to go eat over at the park where Henry's going to call on the pay phone at exactly two o'clock for the 'all is clear' sign. Then David, with the twenty bucks I give him, will disappear, Henry will arrive, and we'll finally have out first official date." She said excitedly.

"My head is spinning." Lorelai said.

"Sounds good though. You and Henry deserve a first date. You've waited so long already." Charlotte smiled at her friend.

"Thanks!" Lane grinned. "Stash this at Miss Patty's for me, ok?"

"Don't you need this for David to bid on?" Rory asked.

"Oh no, my mom packed that one. You know, homemade granola, wheat grass juice, soy chicken taco." She said.

"Hmm...suddenly our lunches are looking pretty good." Lorelai joked.

"This is the Henry basket. I went by Gianelli's and stopped in and picked up a couple of meatball heroes and some chips. I also packed a change of clothes, makeup, makeup remover, and three temporary tattoos." Lane said. "I've got to go. I have to sneak back into my house. Oh, I'm so excited!" She grinned running off.

"Ah man. I remember the days of lying to my mother about a boy. Once I had a boy hidden in the closet and of course Mom wouldn't leave, so I finally had to pretend to get sick to my stomach just to get her out of the room long enough for him to climb out the window and down the tree. He fell, broke his leg. Ah, to be young again." Lorelai smiled.

"Nice anecdote." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

* * *

A crowd was gathered in front of the gazebo filled with baskets. Taylor was stood at a podium in front as the auctioneer.

"Now the next basket I have here is a lovely green wicker number that would be a charming addition to any room once the lunch is gone. Let's start the bidding at five dollars. Do I hear five?" Taylor asked.

"Five dollars." David said bidding on Lane's basket.

"Ok, I have five dollars. Do I hear ten?" Taylor asked.

"Ten dollars." Kirk said.

"Uh oh.." Rory smirked.

"Withdrawn." Kirk said as Mrs Kim glared at him.

"Ok, I'm still at five, do I hear ten?" He asked but go no answer. "Ok, five going once, five going twice, sold to the young man for five dollars. You know what's nice, you can put a couple of extra rolls of toilet paper in there and stick it someplace in the bathroom...decorative and convenient." Taylor advised. "Right now this next one may not look like much..." He said.

"Oooh it's mine!" Rory said.

"Nice." Lorelai nodded.

"...but remember people, good things come in small packages." Taylor continued.

"Geez, how badly does he want to be hosting a game show?" Charlotte said.

"Hmm, he can taste it." Rory said.

"Let's start the bidding at three dollars." Taylor said.

"Hey!" Rory called out indignantly.

"Five dollars." Dean called out.

"What?" Rory said in surprised turning to where Dean was stood. He gave her a friendly smile and shrugged. She smiled, knowing Dean was only trying to be friendly.

"Five dollars, do I hear ten dollars?" Taylor called.

"Ten dollars." Kirk called out.

"Oh great!" Rory groaned.

"Ok, I have ten dollars. Do I have fifteen?"

"Fifteen." Dean said.

"Fifteen dollars, do I hear twenty?" Taylor asked.

"Twenty." Dean said.

"Great! The only people I can get to bid on my basket is my ex-boyfriend and Kirk." Rory sighed.

"Twenty five dollars!" Another voice called.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure." Charlotte smiled.

Rory looked back and was surprised to see Tristan stood there. She turned to Charlotte. "Did you do this?" She asked.

"You seemed upset earlier when we were talking about this. Thought I'd help." Charlotte shrugged.

"Thirty dollars." Dean called out.

"Ok why is he still bidding?" Charlotte said turning to Dean.

"Thirty five dollars." Tristan said.

"Forty." Dean called out.

"Dean..." Rory said, glancing back at Tristan.

Dean looked over at her and saw her smile when Tristan had started bidding. He looked back at him and nodded at him.

"Forty five dollars." Tristan said.

Rory was relieved when Dean seemed to have let Tristan win.

"Ok, we've got forty five going once, forty five dollars going twice...sold to the boy at the back for forty five dollars." Taylor said.

"I can't believe you got Tristan to come." Rory told Charlotte.

"You're glad he's here though, right?" Charlotte asked.

Rory caught Tristan's eye when he walked down to retrieve the basket and couldn't help but blush when he gave him his trademark grin. "Yeah...I guess so." She admitted.

Charlotte smiled. "I guess that's my sisterly job done then." She said.

Rory smiled at her. "Thanks." She said sincerely.

"Don't mention it." Charlotte said. "Ooh here's my basket!" She said.

Rory watched as Charlotte glanced around, obviously hoping to see Jess but he was nowhere in sight. She saw her face drop as Kirk proceeded to bid on her basket. "Ok what happened with you and Jess? You were so happy and now...well you've been looking so upset." Rory said.

"It's nothing." Charlotte said quietly.

"It's not nothing." Rory said softly. "Come on, tell me."

Charlotte sighed. "He got jealous that I was going to see Tristan. He said I was seeing him more than I was spending time with him. He thinks I prefer spending time with Tristan than him."

"What? That's crazy!" Rory exclaimed.

Charlotte just shrugged.

"Right, that's it." Rory said walking off.

"Rory! What are you doing?" Charlotte called.

"Helping my sister out." Rory said. She passed Dean on the way. "Hey, I've heard from Lane that Lindsey from your school likes you. She's got a basket coming up. Maybe you should bid on that?" She smiled.

Dean smiled. "I might just do that." He said.

"I'll be right back." Rory told Tristan as she headed to the diner. She burst through the doors and saw Jess stood behind the counter reading a book. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She exclaimed angrily.

"Excuse me?" Jess said looking out.

"Your girlfriend's out there devastated because her boyfriend can't be bothered to come and bid on her basket and now she will probably have to share a picnic with Kirk because he seems intent on bidding on everyone's basket." Rory said.

"It's none of your business." He said gruffly.

"It is my business, especially when my sister's all upset because you've been accusing her of cheating!" Rory exclaimed angrily.

Jess looked up. "She told you that?"

"Yes! And do you know why she went to see Tristan yesterday?" Rory said.

"Not really." He grumbled.

"Because she'd seen how sad I was because I had no one to bid on my basket. So she thought she'd cheer me up and ask Tristan to come and bid on it!" Rory continued, glaring at him. "She's not interested in Tristan. He's a friend to her, nothing more! She told me yesterday that she loved you. I guess she must have been wrong, huh? Well good riddance! She doesn't deserve you." She said angrily before storming out of the diner and heading back to the gazebo.

"Twenty dollars." Kirk said.

"Oh geez..." Charlotte groaned as Rory joined her. "Kirk keeps outbidding himself."

"What?" Rory asked amused.

"No one else is even bidding and he keeps upping his bid!" Charlotte exclaimed. "This is the guy I'm going to have to spend my afternoon with."

"Fifty dollars." A familiar voice said from the back.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure." Rory smiled.

Charlotte whipped her head round and was surprised to see Jess standing there. She turned to Rory. "What did you say to him?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Just what had to be said." Rory shrugged. "Have fun." She smiled before heading over to Tristan.

"Fifty five dollars." Kirk said.

"Seventy dollars." Jess called out.

Charlotte couldn't help but feel relief as Kirk seemed to stop.

"Seventy dollars going once, going twice...sold to the nice young hoodlum at the back." Taylor said.

Charlotte watched Jess go and retrieve the basket. She took a deep breath before walking slowly towards him. "Thought you said this was a crazy tradition?" She said.

Jess shrugged. "It's not so crazy." He said.

Charlotte crossed her arms across her chest stubbornly. "Not what you said yesterday. Along with a lot of other things..." She said.

"I shouldn't have said those things either." Jess said.

"Is that an apology?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Because it's a pretty crappy one if it is."

"I'm sorry." He said.

"That's better." Charlotte said.

Jess sighed. "Rory explained why you went to see Tristan. I feel like a jerk." He said rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Good. You should." Charlotte said.

"I'm sorry ok?" Jess said.

Charlotte sighed and relented a bit. "I wouldn't cheat on you, Jess. And especially not with Tristan. Tristan's into Rory and Rory's into him. I would never cheat on you."

"I know." Jess said.

"You do?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I was stupid and jealous and I took it out on you."

"Ok..." Charlotte said.

"So shall we?" He asked gesturing to the basket.

"Sure." She shrugged.

"Hey Charlie?" He said as they walked off together.

"Yeah?"

"I...I love you too." Jess said gruffly.

Charlotte turned to him in surprise. "What?"

"I love you and I'm sorry ok?" He shrugged. "Forgive me?"

Charlotte smiled slightly. "You buy me a pizza after this and some new paints and you have a deal." She joked.

Jess smirked. "Deal."

Charlotte grinned. "Come on, I've got the best idea as to where to sit." She said. She saw Jess wasn't moving. "What?" She asked.

"Look." Jess said gesturing over to the gazebo.

Charlotte looked over and grinned as she saw her mom dragging Luke out of the diner and over to where the baskets were being bid on. "Well that, I could see coming. Patty's been trying to set her up."

"Huh." Jess said amused.

"Come on." Charlotte smirked and they walked off together.

Meanwhile, Rory and Tristan were sat on the grass. "So...uh...thanks." Rory said.

"For what?" Tristan asked.

"For stopping me from having to share a picnic with Kirk." Rory smirked.

"You're welcome." He chuckled.

"So Charlotte told you about this?" Rory asked.

"She told me about how you would do this every year but you were a bit sad this year because...well I guess because you wouldn't have Dean to bid on it. She thought it might cheer you up." He shrugged. "Look, I know we're just friends so I did this because you're a friend ok?"

"Ok." Rory said hiding a smile.

"Here." He said pulling something out of a bag that he was carrying. It was a take out bag from Luke's.

"Why did you get food from Luke's?" Rory asked.

"Because Charlotte also told me that if I wanted to live, I would bring my own food. I've heard you talking about Luke's before so I thought I'd buy stuff from there." He said.

"I'm offended!" Rory said indignantly. "I spent hours making this food!" She pouted.

"Really?" He smirked.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Ok maybe not! But I'm still offended."

"Will a cheeseburger from Luke's get you to forgive me?" Tristan smirked.

"Maybe." She smirked taking it. "Ok you're forgiven." She said as she started devouring it.

"I'm glad." He chuckled.

Rory looked across at Tristan. "So you came just because we're friends?" She asked cautiously.

"Well...yeah..." He said.

"No other reason at all?" She asked.

"Why?" He asked confused.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was sort of hoping you had an ulterior motive, that maybe you wanted to spend time with me..." She said.

"Wait a minute...you said..." Tristan started.

"I know." Rory said. "Guess I actually like hanging out with you. Don't tell anyone." She said with a slight smirk.

"Wow. Praise indeed." Tristan raised his eyebrows, feeling some hope.

Rory smiled at him. "Thanks for coming. This has been nice." She said sincerely.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." He shrugged.

Rory watched him and could see the sincerity in his face. "Hey Tristan?" She said quietly.

"Yeah?" He asked looking across at her.

Rory was quiet for a moment before leaning in and kissing him. She pulled back after a moment and blushed. "Sorry..."

"No. Don't apologise." Tristan said, surprised by the sudden change of events. "You have no idea how long I've wanted that to happen." He said.

Rory blushed. "I guess I've kind of been in denial." She admitted. "Sorry."

"It's ok." He said.

"You want a tour of the town?" She asked.

"Sure." He smiled.

"Well you've got yourself your personal tour guide. Come on, I'll show you the sights." Rory smiled.

"Lead the way." He smiled getting up and following her.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the gazebo, Luke and Lorelai were sat next to each other on the bench.

"I hope Sookie and Jackson will be ok." Lorelai said.

"I'm sure they'll sort it out." Luke said.

"I hope so. They belong together, those two." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah they're a good match." He agreed.

"You know, your burgers actually taste better outside." Lorelai joked.

"Good. Next time the roof in the diner's leaking, I'll just rip the stupid thing off." Luke said.

Lorelai grinned. "So this is nice, huh? Come on, admit it." She said.

"Never." He said.

"What? Admit it, you would much rather be sitting out here than inside working." Lorelai said.

"The diner's probably on fire by now." Luke said not giving in.

"It'll be there. Hey, Jess isn't there so it'll be fine." She quipped. "Sorry." She said as Luke gave her a look. "You're too stubborn." She said.

"I'm stubborn?" He asked.

"Yeah, you're stubborn."

"What and you're Miss Flexibility over here?" Luke said.

"Hey, I can be flexible." Lorelai protested.

"Please." He scoffed.

"I can!" She said. "As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I'm totally flexible." She grinned.

"Ah, well, my mistake." He said dryly.

"Do you want a fry?"

"You want a carrot?"

"Impossible."

"Right back at ya." Luke said smirking slightly. "So let me ask you something."

"Shoot." Lorelai said.

"Who did you want to get your basket?" He asked.

"What?" She asked confused.

"I mean, before you knew Patty was going to put you on the dating game, you did pack this disgusting lunch and bring it out here, so who did you want to get it?" He asked interested.

"Well, last year Roy Wilkins bought it and I got my sprinklers fixed for half price." Lorelai said.

"Uh huh." He said.

"And this year my rain gutters are completely clogged, and I thought if I could get the Collins kid to bite, I'd get that taken care of." She grinned.

"Very practical." He nodded.

"I thought so." She grinned.

"So the participation in this thing was purely for home improvement reasons?" Luke asked.

"Yes. And I don't know, it's a nice concept."

"What is?"

"Just having someone who you love or have some kind of crazy crush on bid on your basket and then share a romantic lunch, it's a nice concept." She shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure someday you'll manage to find the right guy and drag him out to this thing and make him by your stupid basket and then you'll be sitting out here with him." Luke said looking across at her.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said looking back at him, smiling slightly. "...someday."

"You know what?" Luke said.

"What?"

"This is nice." He said giving her a small smile.

"I knew it!" She grinned triumphantly.

* * *

Lorelai was sitting on the couch as Rory and Charlotte walked through the front door.

"Mom?" Rory called.

"Oh, hey you two!" Lorelai said. "Where have you both been? I thought Taylor auctioned you off to the highest bidder." She joked.

"No, I just went to get some pizza with Jess afterwards and then we went to that new art store and Jess bought me some new paints." Charlotte said.

"You and Jess?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said.

"So you've made up then?"

"Yeah. Why?" Charlotte frowned.

"You just seemed really upset by whatever happened between you two. I didn't realise you would forgive him so easily." Lorelai said.

"I didn't. But he apologised and he showed he meant it." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, buying your love..." Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"What?" Charlotte said.

"Nothing. I was just saying I'm glad." Lorelai said.

"Ok." Charlotte said not really wanting to get into a fight with her mom.

"So what about you?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"What about me?" Rory asked.

"Did you have company?" Lorelai teased.

"Maybe." Rory said.

"This company...it didn't happen to be Tristan did it?"

"Maybe." Rory said blushing slightly.

"Oh my god, you're blushing!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"Charlie!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oh come on! You had that look after you and Dean had your first kiss!" Charlotte smirked.

"Rory?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Ok fine! Tristan and I kissed ok? Happy now?" She exclaimed.

"I thought you didn't like him like that?" Lorelai said.

"He's grown on me recently." Rory said quietly.

"Well I'm happy you've finally realised it. You two were driving me crazy!" Charlotte exclaimed dramatically.

"Charlie..." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Sorry." Charlotte smirked. "I'm happy for you sis. Tristan's a good guy. You deserve that." She smiled sincerely.

"Thanks." Rory blushed.

"Wow ok, my daughter's officially have more interesting love lives than I do." Lorelai said.

"Well you have those guys Patty sent your picture to." Rory teased.

"Yeah, I'm so lucky." Lorelai said sarcastically.

"And Luke." Charlotte smirked.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"Nothing." Charlotte said innocently. "Hey, fancy a movie night?" She asked.

"I'm in. Mom?" Rory said.

"Sure. Why not?" Lorelai said.

"Cool! We'll get the snacks and you pick the movie." Rory said.

"Ok." Lorelai smiled. She watched as her daughters disappeared into the kitchen. She sighed. She wanted them to want to talk to her about what was going on in their lives but she didn't know how much longer she could act supportive. She didn't know Tristan well so wasn't sure what to think of the sudden turn of events in his and Rory's lives. However, she did know Jess and even though she had been trying, she still wasn't comfortable about the influence he had in Charlotte's life. She was worried and didn't know what to do. She didn't want to get in a fight with either of her daughters though so, as they came back in, she forced a smile on her face and put a movie in. They snuggled up on the couch and started the movie.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think so thank you! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! Here's the next chapter! Just a side note that I'm not actually doing It Should've Been Lorelai but imagine that everything in that episode did happen in this story. :)**

Chapter 9

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were walking toward Luke's for breakfast while Lorelai nursed her bandaged hand. "It still hurts!" She whined.

"Do you need stitches?" Rory asked concerned.

"Probably." Lorelai pouted.

"Well, then we should go to a doctor." Rory said.

"No way! You go into a hospital, you don't come out again!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"Drama queen." Charlotte said.

"I'm starving. I need pancakes." Lorelai changed the subject.

"Can I just ask you..." Charlotte started but Lorelai interrupted her.

"No."

"What on earth did you think you were doing?" Charlotte smirked.

"I thought I was being a self-sufficient woman." She pouted.

"But you hate ladders and you hate heights." Rory pointed out.

"We needed our rain gutters cleaned!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah but we could just hire someone. Someone who won't fall and kill themselves." Charlotte quipped.

"Oh, I'm fine! I'm just being dramatic. It's what I do." Lorelai said.

"No more ladders." Rory said sternly.

"I promise." She sighed.

"Good!" Rory said.

"I think I have gangrene." Lorelai said after a moment.

"Gross!" Charlotte screwed up her face.

"And vertigo."

"Oh boy." Rory said.

"And one leg suddenly feels shorter than the other."

"Let's go eat." Charlotte rolled her eyes and the three of them headed inside Luke's and sat down at a free table.

"God, I'm starving. Must be from the loss of blood." Lorelai said.

"Sure, that must be why." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm getting pancakes with a side of pancakes. Where's Luke?" Lorelai frowned looking round.

"I don't know. Storage room?" Rory said.

"Oh no!" Charlotte groaned.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"Caesar's cooking."

"Why is Caesar cooking?" Lorelai whined.

"How should I know?" Charlotte said.

"Urgh that's bad!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"His pancakes stink." Rory agreed.

"They do stink." Lorelai nodded. She looked around. "Wait here." She told them before running up the stairs to Luke's apartment. She knocked on his apartment door. "Luke, are you there?" She called.

"Ow!" Luke exclaimed from inside.

"Luke, are you okay?" Lorelai frowned.

"Stupid box! Stupid lamp!" He grumbled.

"Hey Luke, are you being attacked by your possessions again?" She joked.

Just then Luke opened the door looking stressed, with a sock on his shoulder.

"Hi." Lorelai grinned.

"Hi." He said.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm looking for my supply ledger."

"Is it going well?" She asked.

"It's going fine."

"You have a sock on your shoulder. Is it helping you look?" She joked.

Luke rolled his eyes and took the sock off. "What are you doing up here?" He asked.

"Charlotte, Rory and I are starving and we need you to cook us breakfast." She said walking into the apartment before stopping. "Whoa!" She said.

"Caesar can make you breakfast." Luke said.

"What happened to this place?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"This is what I always pictured the inside of my head to look like." She joked. "I've never see so much stuff!"

"See if you can find a brown leather ledger." He said.

"Why is it so messy and...full?" Lorelai asked.

"On second thoughts, I'll find it myself." Luke said dryly.

"Where did all this come from?" She asked.

"Jess." Luke sighed. "Liz shipped the rest of his stuff last week. He finally unpacked."

"Well, he did a very nice job." Lorelai said sarcastically.

"I know it's crazy now, but I just have to get it all organized, figure out where to put everything, buy another dresser, a portable wardrobe, some storage bins." He said. "It'll be fine."

"Do you also need a can of gasoline and a box of matches?" She joked.

"Did I mention that Caesar can cook you breakfast?" Luke said gruffly.

"But he doesn't make the good fluffy pancakes like you do!" Lorelai pouted.

"Then order eggs." He shrugged.

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. She took a deep dramatic breath. "You see, I had a near death experience today." She said.

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. I almost fell off the roof of my house trying to clean the rain gutters, so I have to have pancakes. Please? I'll help you shower when I become a superhero." She exclaimed melodramatically.

Just then, Jess appeared from the bathroom.

"You've been in there for two hours!" Luke exclaimed.

"Yeah, well my hair just ain't bouncing and behaving today." Jess said sarcastically.

"There are other people living here too, you know." Luke grumbled.

"Huh really? You learn something new everyday." He said before leaving.

"Well, his people skills are really improving." Lorelai said dryly.

"Go downstairs. I'll be there as soon as I can." Luke said.

"How long is that?"

"I don't know."

"An estimate?"

"I don't know!" He exclaimed.

"Ballpark figure?"

"Seriously?"

"Come on!" She whined.

"Will you just...?" Luke exclaimed.

"Did I mention that I almost fell off my roof today?" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically. "Come on, Luke! I need pancakes!" She then saw the brown ledger and picked it up. "Oh, is this what you're looking for?" She asked.

"Yes, great, thank you." He said trying to take it but Lorelai held it out of reach. "Lorelai!"

"Not unless you make me the pancakes!"

"Give me the book!"

"Give me the pancakes!"

Luke took an exasperated breath. "Fine! Come on." He said following her to the door.

"Thank you!" She grinned.

"Are you sure you weren't almost pushed off the roof of your house today?" He grumbled.

* * *

That night, Lorelai was walking down the street with her two daughters. "Well, I think I'm finally ready to get a tattoo." She announced.

"Oh please." Rory scoffed.

"I am!" She protested.

"You've been saying that for the last five years." Charlotte pointed out.

"I know, but I mean it this time." She said.

"Ok, well what are you getting?" Rory asked not believing her.

"Mel Brooks." She grinned.

"Why?" Rory frowned.

"What do you mean, why? All the movies he's been in and you don't think Mel has earned the right to have his face on my butt?" Lorelai said.

"Ew gross!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Oh, he'll love it, trust me." Lorelai grinned. "So, rocky road hot fudge sundaes and two cans of whipped cream to go with the movies?" She asked.

"Sounds good." Rory nodded.

As they passed the diner, Lorelai glanced through the window and noticed Luke sat at a table.

"Hey, look!" She said.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Luke." Lorelai said.

"What's he doing?" Charlotte asked intrigued.

"I'm not sure. Hey, will you go get the ice cream and make sure they give us a ton of maraschino cherries?" She asked handing them money.

"Ok." Rory said walking off with Charlotte.

Lorelai then walked inside Luke's and found Luke sitting at a table watching a very small television set. "Hey." She said.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Oh, well Charlotte, Rory and I just hit the video store and now we're on our way home to eat a large amount of something you would not approve of." She joked.

"Sounds good." He rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Watching tv." He said as if it was obvious.

"Ah. Wow, that's cute." She said. "Is this the first time it's been away from its mother?" She quipped.

"It's a good tv." Luke defended it.

"Well sure! Black and white, coat hanger antenna, really bad reception, what's not to like?" She joked.

"It's fine." He grumbled.

"Don't you have a fully grown TV upstairs?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, but Jess is upstairs."

"So?"

"So when Jess is upstairs, that means the stereo's blaring and the place is a mess. I just needed a little privacy." He said.

"So you came downstairs." Lorelai nodded.

"Yep."

"To sit on an uncomfortable chair in an empty diner that smells like onion rings." She joked.

"Yep." He repeated.

"Well sounds like a great evening!" She said.

"It was very peaceful until two minutes ago." Luke said dryly.

"Hey Luke, do you ever think that maybe you should get a bigger apartment?" She said.

"What? No, I don't need a bigger apartment." He protested.

"That place upstairs was your father's office. You turned it into an apartment. It was never meant to be lived in." Lorelai pointed out.

"It's fine." He grumbled.

"It's too small for two people. It's too small for one person if they have any kind of life."

"We'll make do. We just need to organize." He said.

"No, you don't need to organize. You need to move."

"I like my apartment!" Luke defended it.

"It's not just your apartment. Jess lives there also now." She said.

"Jess is fine."

"Are you sure? Because he could be pinned down under a box for a year in that place and you wouldn't know it until the neighbours started to complain about the smell and..." Lorelai was saying as Rory and Charlotte came in.

"Hey Luke." Charlotte smiled.

"Charlotte, Rory, perfect! Get her out of here." He said.

"What? But...urgh fine. I'm leaving." She said. "Think about what I said!"

"Oh, hey, did you ever hire anybody to do that work for you?" He asked as they were leaving.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

"The rain gutters." He clarified.

"Oh! No, not yet." She said. "Why, are you offering?" She grinned.

"No. Actually, I was thinking about Jess." Luke said.

"Oh...uh...Jess?" Lorelai said surprised and suddenly not feeling as excited.

"Yeah, he's always looking for a little extra cash. He doesn't make that much here, and well I hate to think of where else he might try to get it, so..." Luke shrugged.

Charlotte looked at her mom hopefully.

"Uh..." Lorelai tried to stall.

"You obviously don't have to pay him the same as you would someone else so you save a little and it will keep him busy." Luke said.

"Yeah, well...maybe." Lorelai cringed. "I will have to check with a couple of people I'm supposed to hear from, but if they can't do it, then sure." She lied.

"Great, just let me know." He shrugged going back to his tv.

"I will. Bye." She said quickly before leaving with Charlotte and Rory.

"So who are all these people you asked to clean out our gutters?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, well, you know..." She said.

"No I don't." Charlotte said.

"Yeah you do!"

"Remind me." She said.

"Ok, well, there's Sid." Lorelai said.

"Sure...Sid." Charlotte said.

"And then there's Lou." She continued.

"Of course." Charlotte said.

"Oh, and also Moose. That is, if Doris will let him out of the house again, you know, after that incident at Chicky's bachelor party." She joked.

"I thought you said you were going to give Jess a chance." Charlotte accused.

"I am!" Lorelai tried to protest.

"Then why won't you hire him?" Charlotte frowned.

"I'm just not very comfortable with him, Charlotte, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed.

"Well, try and get comfortable! Because he is my boyfriend. You're going to have to trust him at some point!"

"Well, I don't know if I can!" Lorelai said.

"But you said...God I can't believe you!" Charlotte exclaimed angrily.

"I know what I said, but I can't help it." Lorelai tried to defend herself.

"You don't know the real Jess. And you don't know the real Jess because you won't give him a chance!"

"Fine, I don't know him but I'm not too fond of his stand in." Lorelai said.

"People are different once you get to know them." Rory said deciding to step in as she could see Charlotte getting frustrated. "If you'll remember, you weren't too fond of Luke when you first met him."

"That's not true." Lorelai frowned.

"You called him Duke for two years just to make him mad." Rory pointed out.

"And let me tell you, it worked." Lorelai quipped.

"But then you guys talked and eventually, time went by, and now you love him. He's one of your best friends." Rory said.

"Well...I guess..." She admitted.

"Mom please! I'm just asking you to give Jess that same chance you gave Luke." Charlotte pleaded. "If you don't do it for him, do it for me. Please?"

"Charlotte, you're dating him. That doesn't mean I have to like him." Lorelai sighed.

"Urghh please! You're never like this with Rory's boyfriends! You thought Dean was amazing and you don't even know Tristan that well but you already think he's better than Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I never said that." Lorelai frowned.

"No but I know you. Anyone's better than Jess in your eyes. All I'm asking is that you give Jess the same chance you give Rory's boyfriends." Charlotte said. "Please mom! Just give him a second chance. Please?" She pleaded.

Lorelai sighed. "Can I at least call him Tess for a little while?" She relented.

"You'll give him the job?" Charlotte said perking up.

"I'll give him the job." She sighed.

"Thank you." Charlotte smiled. "You know, if you give him a chance, he might just surprise you."

"Hmm...yeah, maybe..." Lorelai said unconvinced.

* * *

The following day, Luke and Jess were walking out of an apartment building after having viewed an apartment.

"Forget it." Jess said.

"Why, what was wrong with that one?" Luke asked.

"It was pink."

"Well we could paint it." Luke said.

"You mean I can paint it." Jess said.

"No, we could paint it together."

"Great, then we can hold hands and skip afterwards." Jess said sarcastically.

"Fine, which one do you like?" Luke sighed.

"The one before." Jess said.

"The one with the two fridges?"

"No."

"Well, the one before was the one with two fridges."

"No, the one we saw before was the one with the cat." Jess said.

"I hate cats." Luke grumbled.

"Well, I don't think the cat came with the place." Jess said shaking his head.

"Yeah, but it had carpeting which means it's always going to smell like a cat." Luke pointed out.

"Clean the carpet."

"Paint the pink." Luke retorted.

"Fine, the one next to the bank." Jess gave an exasperated sigh.

"Too many windows." Luke shook his head.

"What?" Luke said confused.

"Six windows all on one side, three o'clock in the afternoon and we would be sitting in an oven." Luke explained.

"So we get curtains." Jess said as if it was obvious.

"Well, you'll have to help me put them up." Luke said.

"Great, then we can hold hands and skip afterwards!" Jess repeated.

"Stop saying that." Luke grumbled.

"You know what, I don't care. Pick whichever one you want." Jess said getting frustrated.

"I'm not picking by myself!"

"You're the one who wants to move!" Jess exclaimed.

"Oh, so you like living the way we do?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Fine by me." Jess said.

"No space, no privacy." Luke pointed out.

"I've got plenty of privacy." He said.

"Yeah, because I'm sitting downstairs in the dark watching a two-inch tv!" Luke exclaimed.

"Hey, you're the one with the problem. You make the choice." Jess grumbled.

"Jess, come on!"

"I have to go." Jess said.

"We've got three more places to look at!"

"I'm supposed to be at Lorelai's in twenty minutes, remember?" Jess said.

"Oh. Yeah." Luke sighed.

"I mean, if you want me to bail on her, fine."

"No, you go. I'll look at the places alone." Luke said.

"Great idea." Jess said dryly.

"I'll take some Polaroids and you can take a look at them later."

"Take a Polaroid, paint a still picture, whatever you want."

"Jess, come on." Luke sighed.

"Hey, nobody asked me if I wanted to move to Stars Hollow, but I'm here!" He exclaimed. "Pick whatever place you want and I'll be there too." He said before walking off.

* * *

Charlotte was shaking her head at the antics of her mom and sister as they got excited over their new digital clock which was spouting animal noises when there was a knock at their door. "I'll get it." She said. "Hey!" She smiled at Jess when she opened it.

"Here." He said tossing her a cd.

"That's the hello I get?" Charlotte said.

"Hi." He smirked.

"That's better." Charlotte grinned. She looked down at the cd. "The Shaggs?" She asked.

"Trust me." He said.

"Ok." She smiled. "So you're very punctual."

"Yeah, well it was either this or continuing apartment hunting with Luke." Jess said.

"You're moving?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I don't know." Jess shook his head. "Luke flipped out last night and next thing I know, he's dragging me all over town banging on pipes and measuring square footage. It's crazy!"

"Well a new place might be nice. More space, maybe you'll get your own room." Charlotte smiled.

"Hmm yeah." He shrugged. "Did you change your hair?" He asked.

"What?" She asked.

"Your hair looks different." He commented.

"Ok, you need to learn how to segue." Charlotte joked.

"Is it?" He asked.

"Not really, I wear it like this a lot. Why?"

"Just looks different." He shrugged.

"Bad different?" Charlotte frowned.

"No. Nice different. Pretty." He said.

Charlotte smiled. "Thanks."

"Oh hey, ducks!" Lorelai exclaimed from the living room.

"Aw that's so cute!" Rory exclaimed.

"We got a new alarm clock." Charlotte told Jess.

"Huh. Bet I know what the lead story in the Stars Hollow Gazette is going to be tomorrow." Jess joked.

Lorelai and Rory then appeared from the living room.

"Hey, did you hear the duck because they're so cute?" Lorelai grinned.

"Hey Jess!" Rory smiled.

"Hey." He said.

"Oh. Jess. You're here. Terrific." Lorelai said forcing a smile on her face.

"So, would you like to come in?" Charlotte asked Jess giving her mom a look.

"Oh, yeah, come on in!" Lorelai said leading him into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" She asked trying to be civil. "You have good timing because we shopped yesterday, and in addition to a case of Maybelline Fresh Lash Mascara, I also bought some of that new freaky Coke with the lemon in it. It's very addictive." She rambled.

"You can sit, you know." Rory smiled at him.

"No thanks." He said.

"So, Jess, what's new?" Lorelai asked attempting to make conversation.

"Not much." He answered.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Jess and Luke are looking for an apartment." She told her mom.

"Oh, you guys see anything good yet?" She asked genuinely interested.

"Nope." He said.

"Oh, ok." Lorelai said. "Well, you know, there's some really cool places over on Peach. Or on Plum. Or is it Orange?" She said trying to remember. "Basically, any of your fruit named streets are pretty nice." She rambled. She realised Jess was just standing there, obviously not wanting to take part in the conversation. She sighed but kept the smile on her face. "Ok, well, I guess you should get started then. Uh...there's a ladder right out front and some buckets and gloves and stuff on the porch. If you need anything else, just let me know." She said.

Charlotte frowned when Jess still didn't say anything. "Come on, I'll show you." She said. Jess walked out of the door in front of her. She looked at her mom.

"I'm trying!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Well, keep it up." Charlotte said before following Jess outside. She walked over to him. "Ok, I have a question." She said.

"Yes?" He said.

"You come over. You seem to have a very firm grasp of the English language. You put together several full sentences, even using a couple of words that contain two or more syllables and then my mother appears and suddenly we need a thought bubble over your head to understand what you're thinking. Can you tell me why that is?" Charlotte demanded.

"The verbal thing comes and goes." Jess said.

"I would really appreciate it if you would try to get along with my mom." Charlotte sighed.

"I took the Coke." He said.

"I know."

"Personally, I think it's a little crazy to put lemon in Coke but I took it anyhow." He pointed out.

"Stop it." Charlotte frowned.

"Ooh, stern face." He smirked.

"Look, I went out on a limb for you trying to get my mom to give you the benefit of the doubt, ok? It took a lot to convince her to hire you for this job. She's trying so I don't think it would hurt you to try to be nice back." Charlotte said crossing her arms against her chest.

"She's hardly trying." Jess said.

"What?"

"It's obvious. That smile was so fake and it's obvious she hates me." Jess said.

"Jess!" Charlotte sighed.

"It's the truth." He shrugged. "Why should I try when I know she doesn't want to?"

"Jess, please! For me?" Charlotte asked. "I hate being in the middle of you two. I love my mom and I love you. Please just try, for me." She said.

Jess glanced at her and sighed. "Ok." He said.

"Ok?" She asked hopefully.

"I can't guarantee that it'll work, but I'll try." He nodded. "If it means that much to you."

"It does. Thank you." Charlotte smiled gratefully.

"Do I get a reward for agreeing?" He smirked. "Something to help me get on with the work."

Charlotte rolled her eyes but leant forward and gave him a peck on the lips. "You'll get more if I actually see some proof you're trying."

"Can't wait." He smirked.

"I've got to go. Rory wants to go to the book sale thing in the square. I'll see you later." She said.

"See you later." He nodded.

* * *

About an hour later, Lorelai walked into the kitchen and took several containers of Chinese food out of the fridge. She got a plate out and started scooping food onto it. She was about to put it in the microwave when she stopped. She heard Jess scraping away on the roof and sighed. She remembered her promise to Charlotte and reluctantly walked outside. "Jess?" She called up. "Hey, Jess!" She called louder when he hadn't heard her.

"Sorry, was it too loud?" He asked looking down.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I..uh..I've got a ton of leftover Chinese food in the kitchen. I thought you might like some lunch." She said.

"No thanks." He said.

"Ok." Lorelai said, sighing as she started to head inside. She was stopped by Jess' voice though.

"Chinese sounds great." He said.

"Really?" She said surprised.

"If you're sure you have enough." Jess said.

"There's plenty. Charlotte, Rory and I decided to take on the entire chicken column last night." Lorelai said.

"Ambitious." He said.

"Well, it's all out on the table, so come in when you're ready." She said.

"I'm ready now."

"Ok, then I'll see you inside." She said heading inside.

Jess took a deep breath but thought about Charlotte so he climbed down the ladder and headed inside after Lorelai.

"So..uh..basically everything here is chicken. You've got garlic chicken, Kung Pao chicken, Szechuan Chicken, chicken in brown sauce, which looks and tastes remarkably like the Szechuan Chicken except it's got these red peppers in it and if you eat them, you die. Plate?" She said holding out a plate to him.

"Oh I thought I'd..." He said gesturing to his hands.

"Oh sure! Soap's on the counter." Lorelai said.

"So when was the last time you had those gutters cleaned?" Jess asked.

"It's been awhile." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, I found an 'I like Ike' bumper sticker up there." He said.

"Is it really bad?" Lorelai said with a slightly awkward laugh.

"Well, it won't be by tomorrow." He said.

"I like hearing that." Lorelai said.

"So you guys aren't too hot on vegetables, huh?" Jess said taking the plate from her.

"What are you talking about? There's green pepper in the Kung Pao." She joked.

"My mistake." He said smirking slightly.

"So, are you a healthy eater like Luke?" She asked.

"No!" Jess scoffed. "No one's a healthy eater like Luke. Yule Gibbons wasn't a healthy eater like Luke."

"Wow, it's been ages since I've heard a good Yule Gibbons reference." Lorelai said surprised.

"Many parts of a pine tree are edible." Jess commented.

"That's right. God, I wonder what the research process was like to get that information." Lorelai said.

"I'd say fairly painful." Jess said.

"Here." She said holding her hand out for his plate. She then put it in the microwave. "So how's school?" She asked trying to keep the conversation going.

"It's still there." He said dryly.

"Are you on any teams or anything?" She asked.

"No, definitely not!" Jess said.

"Not a jersey guy?" Lorelai smirked.

"No, definitely not a jersey guy." He said. "Though the thought of throwing a ball at some jock's head isn't entirely unappealing." He commented. He sat down in the chair next to her and there was an awkward silence. "Look, I'm not really good at this small talk thing." He admitted.

"You're doing okay." Lorelai said with a small smile. "Cold egg roll?" She offered.

Jess was surprised by her actual friendly tone so he nodded. "Why not?" He said taking one and taking a bite.

"Bad?" Lorelai smirked.

"Oh yeah." He said, chuckling slightly.

The microwave beeped and Lorelai got up to get his plate out. He handed it to him and then put hers in.

"Thanks." He said tucking into the food.

There was another silence as Lorelai waited for hers and then once it was ready, she sat down again with him.

Jess glanced up at her. "I really like Charlotte." He said hesitantly.

Lorelai glanced up at him. "I would hope so seeing as you're dating." She quipped.

"Your opinion means a lot to her." Jess said.

"I'd like to hope so." She said slowly not really knowing where Jess was going with this but she was surprised he was actually talking to her about this.

"I want you to know that I'm not going to hurt her. I know you're worried." He continued.

"I am worried." Lorelai nodded. "You didn't exactly give me the best first impression." She pointed out.

"I know." He said. He ate another spoonful of food and then took a deep breath. He looked up at her again. "I...I'm sorry." He said cringing at how awkward that sounded to come out of his mouth. He could see he had taken Lorelai by surprise as well. He sighed. "I was angry. I had just been sent here without a choice. I didn't want to be here and I didn't want to be at someone's house who I didn't know and where I would have to make small talk all night."

Lorelai didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe Jess had just apologised to her. "It's ok..." She said slowly.

Jess sighed. "I wasn't to know that I was going to fall for the daughter of the person who I had decided to take all my anger out on that first night." He said.

"You've fallen for her?" Lorelai said surprised by his confession.

"Thought that was obvious." Jess said glancing down at his food, embarrassed.

Lorelai smiled slightly. She was starting to see the side of Jess that Charlotte had been going on about. "Look, Jess, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not worried. Because I am. Charlotte's my daughter and I'm always going to worry about her, no matter what." She said.

Jess just nodded.

"But...I appreciate your apology." She said slowly. She saw Jess glance up at her. "Maybe I need to learn not to hold grudges for so long. Charlotte and Rory both tried to make me realise that. They said I'd caught you on a bad day and I guess I did. I guess I didn't really stop to think about how you felt. I understand you must have been angry at the world, thinking that everyone was out to get you. Believe me, I know what that feels like." She said.

Jess nodded. "I guess I didn't exactly make it easy for you to give me another chance." He shrugged.

"You could say that again." Lorelai said but with a slight smirk.

Jess smirked. "I haven't really given anyone the chance to like me in this town."

"True. But Charlotte does. She really likes you. And Rory likes you. And my daughters normally have a pretty good judge of character." Lorelai said.

Jess just nodded. "I love Charlotte." He admitted. "And Rory's a good friend." He added. He glanced up at her. "You did a good job with them. Luke told me a bit about your life. It's impressive."

Lorelai smiled slightly. "Thanks." She said sincerely.

"I respect you. I know it doesn't seem like it but I kind of wish my mother could have been like you. Someone who would do anything for her kid or kids. Charlotte and Rory love you. I know you all have this crazy bond. I guess I was kind of jealous." He shrugged.

Lorelai looked at him for a moment. She then picked up the box with the egg rolls in again and offered it to him. "How about we start afresh?" She suggested.

Jess eyed the box and then Lorelai. "I don't know if you're trying to poison me or if you actually mean it." He smirked.

Lorelai smirked. "You'll have to find out."

"Look forward to it." Jess smirked. "I think I'll pass on the egg roll though."

"Suit yourself." She grinned placing it back down.

"I should get back to the gutters." He said.

"Oh yeah, sure." She said getting up and cleaning up the plates. She watched as he headed for the door. "Hey Jess?" She said.

"Yeah?" He said turning round.

"Thanks for the apology." She smiled.

"Thanks for the food." He replied.

Lorelai smiled as she watched him head outside. She let out a big breath before clearing away the food.

Jess headed out onto the porch and took a big breath as well. He then nearly bumped straight into Charlotte. "Geez!" He exclaimed. He then eyed her suspiciously. "How long have you been out here?"

"Long enough." She grinned.

"Ah geez!" He groaned. "I thought you were at the book sale."

"I was but Tristan came and I felt like a third wheel so I left." Charlotte said.

"Oh." He said.

"Thank you." She smiled sincerely.

"I didn't do much." Jess mumbled.

"You did more than you think. You and my mom are actually talking and getting along and you have no idea how much that means to me." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah, well...you said it was important to you. So I gave it a try like I promised." He shrugged. "I should get back to work before your mom stops being civil to me." He joked.

"Wait!" She said suddenly.

"What?" He said turning back round.

Charlotte went over to him, putting her arms round him and leant in to give him a passionate kiss. "I love you." She said softly.

Jess smiled. "I love you too." He said.

"Now get back to work, boy!" She grinned.

"Yes ma'am." He saluted before walking off.

Charlotte grinned, watching him disappear out of sight, and then headed inside the house. Right now, she didn't think she could be as happy as she was.

 **Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think by continuing to leave me reviews! I really do appreciate them and they really motivate me as well so thank you! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews so far! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 10

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked into Luke's and sat down at a table. "Hey." Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Geez, look at this place."

"It's a mess." Rory nodded.

"Hey." Luke said. "Nope, you can't sit here."

"Why not?" Charlotte asked.

"Three people got nailed in the head here earlier." Luke said.

"But their food was ok, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Will you just move?" Luke sighed. He then pointed to the door when Lorelai's cell rang. "Outside." He said.

"You know, if I sit here one more second, I just might be outside." Lorelai joked. She rolled her eyes when Luke just stared at her. "Order me some coffee." She told Rory and Charlotte before going outside.

Jess then appeared at their table and handed Charlotte an umbrella. "Trust me." He smirked.

"Oh, you are really funny." Luke grumbled from the counter. "You and Tom should put an act together." He said.

"I aim to please." Jess said dryly before walking away.

Luke shook his head before turning to Charlotte and Rory. "I'd leave it open." He admitted.

They sat there with the umbrella open when Lorelai walked in a few minutes later and sat down with a long sigh. "I'm going to a spa with my mother." She said.

"Lean forward." Rory told her, getting her to lean under the umbrella just as some debris fell down from the roof.

* * *

Lorelai was sat on her bed the following morning as Charlotte and Rory walked around, helping to pack her suitcase.

"So, then we're all confirmed." Lorelai said on the phone. "Great. Thanks so much for your help. Ok, bye." She said hanging up. "Yeeessss!" She grinned.

"That was an evil yes." Rory commented.

"Not an evil yes. It's a 'yes, I'm pretty, but hello, I'm smart' kind of a yes." Lorelai explained.

"Oh sure, my mistake." Rory said.

"So here's the deal..." She told her daughters. "I go into my facial just as my mother is finishing her salt glow, which will end ten minutes after I've gone for my scalp treatment which puts me in the watsu massage pool at least six minutes into her back facial." She grinned. "So the day is so well planned I won't see her until dinner which will have to be cut tragically short sadly by the food poisoning I plan to contract."

"You are twelve and disgusting." Charlotte shook her head.

"And extremely petty." Rory added.

"I am trapped and desperate." Lorelai said.

"Do you really think you can avoid Grandma the entire weekend?" Charlotte said.

"Hey, I'm nothing if not a great organizer." Lorelai said. "Now, let's talk about what you two have got planned to do tonight. Throwing a party, I hope? Inviting hundreds of bikers and lowlifes who are going to trash the place?"

"I am going to do laundry, watch TV, order Indian food and go to bed early." Rory announced proudly.

"And I'm going to have Jess over and we're going to hang out in the bedroom all evening." Charlotte grinned.

"What?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"She's kidding, mom." Rory said shaking her head at Charlotte. "We've already agreed that the house is a no boyfriends zone and we're going to have a quiet night." She told her.

"Geez, don't scare me like that!" Lorelai said dramatically holding her hand to her heart. "I know Jess and I have sort of come to a mutual understanding and he may not be on my hate list anymore but geez..."

"Sorry." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm looking forward to falling asleep on the couch with the TV on." Rory said.

"Same." Charlotte said. "You're all packed." She told her mom.

"Thanks!" Lorelai said.

Just then a car honked from outside.

"I think Grandma's here." Rory said.

" Urghh...what's she honking for? She hates honking!" Lorelai said going to the window. "She calls it a mechanical bodily function." She said looking out of the window. "Oh god..." She groaned, heading downstairs.

Rory and Charlotte went to look as well and grinned at each other before following their mom downstairs.

As the three of them headed outside the found Emily standing in front of a limousine. "Hello, hello, hello!" She said cheerfully.

"What, are we going to the prom?" Lorelai said sarcastically.

"I just thought since this weekend is all about relaxing, we should start with the ride." Emily smiled.

"This is cool, Grandma." Rory marvelled.

"Very cool!" Charlotte grinned.

"Thank you, girls. So, are we all ready to go?" She said.

"I guess so." Lorelai said. "Bye you two." She said giving them both a kiss.

"Bye mom! Bye Grandma." Rory smiled.

"Have a good time!" Charlotte smiled.

They watched as the limousine disappeared from sight. "Mom is so going to have a terrible time." Charlotte smirked.

"You never know. They might surprise us." Rory smirked.

* * *

At Chilton, in Rory's science lesson after their lab reports had been handed back, Paris walked over to her,

"So, I suppose that you have big Friday night plans also?" Paris asked.

"Well, kind of." Rory said.

"So the fact that I'm seeing my entire Harvard career slip away apparently is of no interest to anyone?" Paris exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Rory sighed, used to Paris' freak outs.

"I got an A-minus, ok?" She said quietly.

"So?" Rory said confused.

"What do you mean, so?" Paris exclaimed. "I got an A-minus. I have never gotten an A-minus! I just can't focus lately. Things are so weird at my house. My dad finally figured out exactly how much it was going to cost him to divorce my mom, so now he's back and it's bad enough that I wasted all that time crunching the numbers with him, but now that he's back, they're fighting and redecorating. The place is a mess. I need help."

"Look, I can't tonight, but if you're still freaked out after the quiz on Tuesday, I will spend everyday next week helping you prepare for the final, ok?" Rory said.

"I guess." Paris huffed.

"Relax. It will be fine, I promise." Rory reassured her.

"All I had to do was move a decimal point and none of this would have happened." Paris grumbled going back to her seat.

"So you have big plans tonight?" Tristan asked Rory.

"Yeah, my mom's away for the night so Charlotte and I will have the house to ourselves." Rory told him.

"So do any of these plans include inviting your boyfriend over?" He said with his trademark grin.

"Sorry, no can do." Rory said.

"What?"

"Charlotte and I have agreed that it's going to be a no boyfriend zone. It's just we never really have the house to ourselves much so we were just going to have a quiet night in." She apologised.

"Oh." Tristan said. "Ok."

"Please don't be mad." Rory said. "Jess isn't invited either."

"I'm not mad. It's cool." Tristan said.

"Really? It's not because I don't want you there. It's just..." Rory rambled.

"Rory." Tristan smiled. "It's cool."

Rory smiled. "We can do something tomorrow though. I'm free all day."

"It's a plan." Tristan smiled. He leant across and gave her a quick kiss.

"Ok good." Rory smiled. "Now get back to your work and quit copying mine." She smirked.

"Of course ma'am." He smirked.

* * *

Later that day, after school, Charlotte and Jess were kissing in the gazebo.

"Wow, your lung capacity certainly has improved." Charlotte smirked.

"Well, I've been fighting Chuck Presby a lot lately so my fitness has improved." Jess joked.

"Yet another reason for the town to believe this rebellious reputation of yours." Charlotte joked.

"I aim to please." Jess smirked. "So, tonight." He said.

"Yeah?" Charlotte said.

"I was thinking..."

"About?"

"Since your mother's going to be gone..."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe I'd come over." Jess said.

"Oh." Charlotte said.

"What?" Jess asked noticing the change in her demeanour.

"Well actually, Rory and I was thinking of pulling kind of a hermit thing tonight."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Just because it would be nice. We hardly get the house to ourselves."

"All the more reason for me to come over. We can spend some time together." Jess said. He looked at her. "You don't want me to come over?"

"No, I just...Rory and I wanted some sister time. We can finally do our laundry exactly the way we like it. Our mom always messes it up by putting darks and whites together. She's ruined so many of our clothes." Charlotte joked.

"You want to be alone to do laundry?" Jess frowned.

"And watch TV and eat the Indian food that we love but my mom hates the smell of and go to bed early and... I'm sorry, are you mad?" She asked.

"Why would I be mad? You want to spend tonight alone just with Rory." He shrugged.

"But hey, tomorrow, the whole day is all about you." Charlotte smiled. "I mean it, from morning til night. You plan it, or I'll plan it, or we can get a professional to plan it, whatever you want."

"Sounds like a plan." Jess smirked.

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"No, not mad. I'm used to your crazy ways." He smirked.

"Why thank you." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." He smirked. "So...shall we?" He said.

"Oh kissing...right!" Charlotte grinned before leaning in and resuming their kissing from before.

* * *

Later that evening, Rory was on the phone while Charlotte was sat on the living room floor surrounded by piles of clothes.

"No, that's four orders of garlic naan, six samosas, and two chicken vindaloo. And rice, and the green sauce, and no salad, and..." Rory was saying when the house phone rang. "Can you hold on a sec?" She said.

"It's fine. You carry on, I'll answer it." Charlotte said getting up. She picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Phil's Liquor. I'm supposed to be delivering a keg there tonight." Lorelai's voice was heard on the other end of the line.

"Hold on." Charlotte told her. "Hey Ror? Can you get me some rice as well?" She said.

Rory nodded. "Hi, yeah sorry about that." She said into her cell. "Can we get an extra portion of rice as well? Yeah that's it. Forty minutes? Great, bye!" She smiled hanging up. "All done. That mom?" She asked.

"Yep." Charlotte said. "I'm back." She said on the phone.

"What's going on?" Lorelai asked.

"We were ordering Sandeep's." Charlotte grinned.

"Oh. Good. Enjoy. Can you burn the house down afterward, because that's the only way we'll get the smell out?" Lorelai joked.

"Absolutely. How's the spa?" Charlotte said.

"Tranquil."

"Really?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I wasn't done." Lorelai said. "Tranquilizers will be required if I have to spend one more minute with my mother."

"Sounds about right." Charlotte smirked.

"How's the spa?" Rory asked from where she was sorting out their laundry.

"Like we assumed it would be." Charlotte smirked.

Rory rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the phone which Charlotte gave her. "Please tell me you're at least trying to get along with Grandma?" Rory asked their mom.

"Oh, hey, I'm being a peach." Lorelai defended herself.

"Really?" Rory asked unconvinced.

"Well, I smell like a peach." Lorelai admitted. "Hey, was that the doorbell?" She asked hearing the doorbell in the background.

"I'll get it." Charlotte said going to the front door. She opened it and was surprised to see Paris standing there. "Oh. Hey Paris." She said.

"Urgh, it's Paris. I'll call you later." Rory told her mom.

"Wait! I want to find out why she's there." Lorelai said.

"The sooner you get back to your weekend, the sooner it'll be over." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "Fine but before you go, can you get out my address book and count how many friends I have? I'll wait." She said.

"Bye." Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Mean!" Lorelai pouted.

"Steal us some soap!" Rory joked before hanging up just as Paris came into the living room with Charlotte trailing behind her.

"Look who it is." Charlotte said.

"Paris...what...?" Rory asked before Paris interrupted her.

"I tried to stay home and study myself but I can't. I don't know what anything means anymore. I mean, I can't even read my own handwriting. What does this say? The person who wrote this should be dressed in a clown suit stuffing bodies under their porch." Paris exclaimed. She stopped for a moment and took in their appearances. "You're in your pyjamas." She stated the obvious.

"I know." Rory said.

"This was the big night you had planned? A rendezvous with Mr. Peanut?" Paris exclaimed.

"Well..." Rory said.

"You're doing laundry." She said seeing all the clothes.

"Yes." Rory nodded.

"You're doing laundry in your pyjamas."

"Ok I think we've established that already." Charlotte joked.

"Look, our mom is out of town and we never get the house all to ourselves." Rory explained.

"You mean you never get to go months on end without seeing your parents? Just getting an occasional postcard that doesn't even have a courtesy "Wish you were here" written on it? That does suck." Paris scowled walking back towards the front door. "Don't let me stand in your way." She retorted.

"Paris, wait." Rory sighed.

"No, forget it! I don't want to get in the way of your big night. I hear there's going to be some hot knitting going on later." Paris grumbled.

"Fine, I'll study with you!" Rory exclaimed.

"You will?" Paris said perking up.

"For one hour, that's it. We can do a quick review and a pop quiz and then you are going home. Deal?"

"Deal." Paris smiled.

"Well as much as I would like to join in, I'm not in your science lesson so I'll be in our room doing some sketching." Charlotte grinned.

Rory rolled her eyes at Charlotte's obvious joy at not having to endure Paris for an hour. "Go sit on the couch." She told Paris. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go change." Rory told her.

"Ok, but my hour doesn't start until you get back out here, right?" Paris called after her.

* * *

Rory and Paris had been studying in the living room for the past hour. Charlotte had joined them for the last 15 minutes.

"So, given that those are the reactions occurring in the two half-cells, what do you do next?" Rory said.

"No idea." Charlotte quipped.

"Well, if we add them together, doubling the coefficients of the silver half equation but not the voltage, we get the equation for the complete reaction." Paris said ignoring Charlotte.

"Well, you're in much better shape than you want to think you are." Rory smiled at Paris.

"Impossible." Paris said.

Just then the doorbell rang and Rory stood up.

"Where are you going?" Paris asked.

"That's our food." Rory said.

"Another half hour, please!" Paris pleaded.

"No, you got your hour. You need to go." Rory groaned.

"But..." Paris protested.

"Go!" Rory said.

"Fine." Paris huffed.

Rory sighed and went to open the door. She was surprised to see Jess is holding a box of food. She rolled her eyes. "Charlie, it's for you!" She called going back to the living room.

Charlotte went to the door. "What are you doing here?" She asked surprised.

"Delivery." He said. "Nice pyjamas." He smirked.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again.

"Well, Luke figured since you're along tonight that maybe you wouldn't have any food in the house, so he sent over a care package." He said gesturing to the box.

"Luke did huh?" Charlotte asked suspiciously.

"Yep. You know how protective he gets. Not my fault he asked me to deliver it." Jess shrugged.

"Well sure..." Charlotte said smirking slightly. "Well we don't need a care package. We ordered food from Sandeep's."

"Really? Planning on burning down the house afterwards?" He asked.

"You and my mom are more similar than you think." Charlotte shook her head.

"Huh." Jess said. "It's the only way to kill the smell. So where should I put this?" He asked walking into the house.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed following him into the kitchen where Rory was getting a drink.

"What's going on?" Rory asked.

"Luke sent a care package apparently." Charlotte said.

"Really? But we ordered food." Rory said.

"Yeah already told him that."

"So where should I put it? Table?" Jess asked putting the box down and starting to take the food out.#

Just then the doorbell went again and Rory went to answer it. She was surprised to see Tristan standing there. "Geez, how many uninvited guests are we going to get tonight?" She exclaimed.

"Not exactly the welcome I was hoping for." Tristan smirked.

"Yeah well you're not the first surprise we've had today." Rory sighed but stepped aside to let him in leading him through to the kitchen.

"Ah..." Tristan said spotting Jess. "So Jess had the same idea as me then?"

"Seems like it." Rory said. "Even though we both told you that this house was going to be a no boyfriend zone tonight." She said raising his eyebrows at him.

"Yeah...well I can't help it if I miss you, can I?" He smirked.

"I saw you at school!" Rory laughed.

"Yeah but I'm pathetic. I can't deal with not spending every waking minute with my girlfriend." Tristan exclaimed melodramatically.

Rory smirked. "Yeah, that is pathetic."

"Yeah?" Tristan smirked. "But does it get me a kiss?"

Rory rolled her eyes and leant forward to give him a kiss. She turned back to Jess and Charlotte and her eyes widened at the amount of food on the table. "God, how much food was in there? This could feed twelve." She exclaimed.

"Excuse me, I've seen you both eat." Jess pointed out.

"Fine, six." Rory said.

"Yeah, well, he wanted you taken care of. He wasn't sure how long your mom was going to be gone for." Jess said.

"Oh yeah, Luke right?" Charlotte smirked.

"Who else?" Jess said.

"Just tonight." Rory told him.

"Oh, he didn't know that."

"Well, now you can tell him." Charlotte smirked.

"I will." He nodded.

"So Luke sent you over with it and not Caesar?" Charlotte asked.

"I volunteered." He said.

"Oh so now you volunteered." Charlotte smirked.

"Yep. Just wanted to get out of the construction zone. There's nothing but banging and yelling. That place gives me a headache."

"Well I can imagine that." Charlotte gave him that one.

"Why? Did you think I wanted to come over here and see my girlfriend even though she told me not to?" Jess smirked.

"No." Charlotte said.

"Just needed some quiet." He said.

"Fine."

"That's all." Jess said.

"Doesn't make a difference to me." Charlotte played him at his own game.

"Huh." He said. "So, aren't you going to eat?"

"Eventually." Charlotte said.

"It gets cold fast."

"I can heat it up."

"Do they do this a lot?" Tristan asked Rory.

"Yep." Rory said.

"Reheated French fries really suck." Jess told Charlotte.

"They do suck." Rory agreed with him.

"I guess..." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, so, eat." Jess nodded.

"Ok, I will." Charlotte said. She then glanced at him. "You're still standing here." She said.

"I know. You didn't give me a tip." He replied.

"You want money?" She asked.

"Nope but a kiss from my girlfriend would be nice." He smirked.

"Sure, because that wasn't cheesy." Charlotte said.

"Did it work?" Jess asked.

Charlotte smirked. "Maybe." She said. "Ok fine, here." She said leaning forward and giving him a kiss.

"Thanks." Jess smirked. "I think I'll take a fry as well." He said.

"Sure." Charlotte sighed. "Have as much as you want."

"Ooh I want a fry too." Tristan chimed in.

"Well I guess there's enough food." Rory said.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked Jess as he took off his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked Tristan as he followed Jess' lead.

"Getting ready to eat." Jess said.

"Me too." Tristan said.

"You're both staying?" Charlotte asked.

"Didn't you just both invite us?" Tristan asked, looking at Jess. "Did I hear them wrong?" He asked him.

"Nope, that's what I heard too." Jess smirked.

"Ever think we might just have been had?" Charlotte asked Rory.

Rory had to smirk. "They're good." She nodded.

Charlotte laughed. "Right ok, you can stay. Eat what you want." She told them.

"So I guess your surprise guests were actually a good thing right?" Tristan grinned at Rory.

"Well..." Rory said.

Just then Paris walked in from the living room. "I can't find my flashcards." She said.

"That was the first surprise." Rory told Tristan.

"Fun!" Tristan smirked.

"I thought you two were having a quiet night in." Jess said looking at Charlotte.

"This is Paris. Her and Rory were just studying." Charlotte told him.

"Don't worry, I was just leaving. If you find my flashcards, call me, okay? I don't want to break up your party or interfere with your plans." Paris said. "Thanks for studying with me." She told Rory. "And thanks for putting up with me when you obviously didn't want to." She said smirking slightly at Charlotte.

"You're welcome!" Charlotte grinned, slightly surprised but also amused that Paris actually seemed to have a sense of humour.

"Well I'll get going." Paris said heading to the door.

Charlotte and Rory exchanged a look.

"Wait!" Rory called after her.

"What?" Paris asked.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Rory suggested.

"But I thought..." She said confused.

"Hey, we've got tons of food and we can go over the notes more later. Well...you and Rory can. I'll just sit with you and pretend I know what you're talking about." Charlotte joked.

Paris smirked slightly. She looked at them both. "Are you sure?"

"What are friends for eh?" Charlotte smiled at her.

"Friends?" Paris asked surprised glancing at Rory.

"Yeah come on Paris. Come have some food with us all." Rory smiled.

"Is that mac and cheese?" Paris asked.

"Yep." Charlotte smirked knowing she was relenting.

"I love mac and cheese." Paris admitted.

"Great. Well come get a plate then." Rory said.

"Well ok." Paris said. "Can I borrow your phone to call my nanny?"

"Sure it's by the door." Rory said.

"Thanks." She smiled at them and then walked off to call her nanny.

* * *

A few minutes later, the five of them were all sat at the table eating. Paris, Jess and Tristan were engaged in a heated debate about books.

"A tragic waste of paper." Paris said.

"I can't believe you just said that." Jess exclaimed.

"Well, it's true, the Beat's writing was completely self-indulgent. I have one word for Jack Kerouac. Edit." Paris said smirking slightly.

"It was not self-indulgent! The Beats believed in shocking people, stirring things up." Jess said.

"They did believe in drugs, booze, and petty crime though." Tristan pointed out.

Rory and Charlotte exchanged an amused look as they were busy tucking into the food.

"Well, then you can say that they exposed you to a world you wouldn't have otherwise known. Isn't that what great writing's all about?" Rory intercepted into the debate.

"That was not great writing. That was the National Enquirer of the fifties." Paris said.

"You're cracked." Jess said.

"Typical guy response. Worship Kerouac and Bukowski. God forbid you'd pick up anything by Jane Austen." Paris rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I've read Jane Austen." Jess defended himself.

"You have?" Paris asked.

"Really?" Charlotte asked as well.

"Yeah, and I think she would have liked Bukowski." Jess commented, pouring some salt and pepper in the same pot.

"What are you doing?" Paris asked.

"Salt and pepper dip. Only way to eat a fry." Jess said.

"Really?" Paris asked, glancing at the others.

"It's fast food gospel." Rory nodded.

"She's right." Tristan nodded.

Paris tried it and smiled. "Mmm...that's good. That's really, really good." She said.

"Do you like hot sauce?" Jess smirked.

"I don't know. Should I?" Paris asked.

"I think it's wise." Jess said.

"I think it's wise that you stop this conversation right now." Charlotte quipped raising her eyebrows at her boyfriend.

Jess smirked. "What? I know you like hot sauce."

"Ok, eww!" Rory exclaimed. "Can we stop with these innuendos please?"

"Sorry." Jess smirked.

"Yeah sorry." Charlotte smirked.

"Right well since you're all here, why don't we take this food into the living room and put a movie on? We might as well make a night of it." Rory suggested.

"Sounds good." Charlotte nodded.

"You guys in?" Rory asked Jess, Tristan and Paris.

"Sure." Jess nodded.

"I'm in." Tristan said.

"Yeah ok." Paris said with a small smile.

"Cool, let's go." Rory grinned.

* * *

Much later that night, Paris had gone home and Charlotte and Rory were sat on the sofa. "They're such lightweights." Charlotte laughed, looking at Jess and Tristan who were lying down on the floor having fallen asleep.

"They're just not used to keeping up with our eating habits." Rory smirked.

Charlotte glanced at the clock. "So...should we wake them up?" She asked.

"We probably should." Rory agreed. "But it seems a bit mean to wake them up deliberately."

"I know." Charlotte said. She then sighed. "Do you think mom will be mad?"

"About what?" Rory asked.

"We told her Jess and Tristan weren't coming tonight." She said.

"I know but it's not really our fault. They just turned up." Rory pointed out.

"Yeah and we spent the whole evening with them." Charlotte pointed out. "Mom will freak that we spent the whole evening with our boyfriends in the house by ourselves."

"Yeah we spent the whole evening with our boyfriends...and Paris." She pointed out. "Paris was here too."

"I guess." Charlotte said.

"I'm sure she won't mind if we let them bunk here. They can stay in here and we'll be in our room. Totally innocent." Rory said.

"I guess..." Charlotte said biting her lip.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"It's just...mom's just started liking Jess. I don't want them to go back to square 1." She said worried.

"They won't." Rory assured her. "Look I'll tell her it was my idea if you want?"

Charlotte sighed but smiled at her sister. "Thanks but it's fine. You're right. It would be mean to wake them up. Let's leave them and head to bed." She said.

"Ok." Rory said. "You go ahead. I'll just call Luke and let him know Jess is staying here."

"Ok." Charlotte said. "See you in a bit."

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were sat at a table at Luke's.

"You actually got Grandma to steal a bathrobe?" Charlotte laughed.

"Yep! Although I did catch her trying to return it while I was getting the car." Lorelai grinned.

"Still, that's pretty impressive." Rory joked.

"I know. Life with my mother, one step forward, five thousand steps back." Lorelai joked.

"Excuse me, are you done?" Kirk asked from where he was stood right by their table.

"No sorry, not yet." Lorelai smiled up at him.

"So, you're going to eat that half a piece of bacon that's been sitting there for ten minutes?" Kirk asked.

"Kirk..." Lorelai said.

"I mean, of course, you must be if you're saying you're not done because that's the only thing left in front on you, unless you eat plates." Kirk pouted.

"Go away." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"You're hogging the table!" He exclaimed.

"You keep it up, I'm ordering seconds." Lorelai warned him.

"Fine." He huffed.

"So, Tristan and Jess looked a little green this morning." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, they kind of couldn't handle the amount of food." Rory said.

"Yeah, I guess not everyone can be like us." Charlotte joked.

"People don't realize it, but it takes years of training to be able to eat the way we do." Lorelai nodded.

"Don't we know it." Rory nodded.

"It was ok that we let them stay the night, wasn't it?" Charlotte asked. "I know we said we weren't going to invite them round and we didn't but they came and then they were getting on with Paris so we watched a movie and..."

"Ok hon, take a breath." Lorelai smirked.

"Sorry..." Charlotte smirked.

"It's fine." Lorelai assured her. "They were in the living room. You were right. It would have been mean to wake them."

"Really?" Charlotte said.

"Charlie, I trust you ok?" Lorelai smiled.

"Ok." Charlote smiled.

"So did you have a fun night?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah it was fun." Charlotte smiled, thinking about how much she did actually enjoy it.

"Yeah it was good." Rory nodded.

"So...better than doing laundry by yourself?" Lorelai smirked.

"Definitely!" Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah I guess it was." Rory smirked.

"Good. Well I'm glad." Lorelai smiled.

"I'll go pay." Charlotte said. "Before Kirk combusts." She smirked.

"Thanks hon." Lorelai grinned. She watched as her daughter walked up to the counter.

"She was really worried, you know." Rory said.

"About what?" Lorelai asked.

"About letting Tristan and Jess stay. She knows you and Jess have just started getting along. I guess she didn't want you to start hating him again." Rory said.

"I guess that was kind of my fault." Lorelai said. "I've gotten her on edge about Jess."

"He's really not that bad." Rory said.

"Yeah I'm starting to realise that." She said.

"He could hold his own in a debate with Paris." Rory smirked.

"That's impressive!" Lorelai laughed.

"I know." Rory grinned.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was met by Luke at the counter. "Hey Luke." She smiled.

"What, you find a nail in your food?" He asked her. "I swear to God, Tom, you are dead! You hear me? Dead!" Luke shouted down the counter.

Charlotte smirked. "There's nothing wrong with the food, Luke."

"Oh." He said. "Sorry Tom." He called down the counter.

Charlotte stifled a laugh. "I just wanted to thank you." She said.

"Yeah, for what?" He asked.

"For the care package. It was really sweet of you." Charlotte smiled.

"What care package?" He said.

"Hey Luke, I think they hit the water line again." Jess said suddenly appearing at his side.

"What?!" Luke exclaimed walking away. "Tom, you are dead! You hear me? Dead!" He shouted.

"Interesting." Charlotte smirked.

"Hey, you want to pay?" Jess asked cashing it up at the till.

"I don't think Luke knew anything about the food last night." Charlotte commented.

"That'll be fourteen-fifty." He smiled politely at her.

"Which means you lied about why you came over yesterday." She continued handing him the money. "I was so right!"

"I don't have any quarters so I will have to give you nickels." He said.

"Just admit it, you missed me!" She grinned.

"Here's your change. Come again soon." Jess smirked.

"You wanted to come over! Tristan admitted why he came over. Admit it!" Charlotte grinned.

"I have to get back to work." He smirked.

"Jess!" Charlotte laughed.

"Alright, I wanted to come over ok? I wanted to see you! I give up. Is that so bad?" He exclaimed.

Charlotte grinned. "No." She said beaming. She leant over to kiss him. "There's nothing bad about that."

Jess smirked. "Good to know." He said.

"So are you free for our day together?" She asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute to check with Luke." He nodded.

"Cool. I'll be here." She smiled. She watched him walk off and couldn't get the giddy smile off her face.

 **I hope you liked it! I know a few of you have been waiting for this chapter so I hope I did it justice! Please keep the reviews coming so I can see what you thought! Thanks! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 11

In the dining room at the inn, Emily was sat at a table tasting soups as Lorelai and Sookie stood next to her watching.

"Haven't you already tasted that one, mom?" Lorelai said annoyed.

"Mmm.." Emily said sipping it.

"Twice. You've tasted that soup twice." Lorelai said.

"You're keeping a running count?"

"Yes." Lorelai said.

"The women in my DAR group are very picky. When the pate at the meeting Heddy Cubbington organized was slightly less chilled than appropriate, she was ostracized for a month." Emily exclaimed.

"Right..." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Lorelai..." Emily sighed.

"Fine..." Lorelai sighed. "Just decide in this calendar year at least please."

"Hey...uh...the mushroom is a great choice." Sookie said giving her another bowl. "It's super popular, and it's my Jackson's favourite."

"Whose?" Emily asked.

"Jackson, my fiancé." Sookie explained.

"Oh, you're getting married?" Emily asked.

"To the best man in the world." Sookie smiled.

"Oh hey, while we're on the subject, bridesmaids outfits?" Lorelai asked turning to Sookie.

"Ooh, I'm way ahead of you. I've already got a couple of ideas." Sookie nodded.

"Is one of them having me design and make them so I don't secretly hate what you pick and then harbuor a secret grudge against you for the rest of our lives?" Lorelai asked.

"It is now." Sookie laughed.

"I'll do it!"

"We're a good team." Sookie grinned.

Just then Charlotte appeared in the room. "Hey mom? Michel told me to tell you that fellow is on the phone from the restaurant." She smirked.

"Who?" Lorelai asked confused.

"In Michel's word, the flannel man with the protruding ankles." Charlotte grinned.

"Luke had to talk to Michel. Poor him." Lorelai grinned.

"Yep. I think I could hear some swear words being said." Charlotte grinned.

Lorelai laughed. "Ok thanks." She said starting to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Emily asked.

"Uh...to talk to Luke." Lorelai said.

"Can't you call him back?" Emily asked.

"Just keep tasting mom." Lorelai said before leaving the room with Charlotte following.

"Lorelai!" Emily exclaimed. She then turned to Sookie. "Is she always this scattered?" She asked.

"She's the stablest person I know." Sookie said.

"That's very sad." Emily said.

* * *

Lorelai walked over and picked up the phone. "Hey Luke!"

"Hey." Luke said. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. How's things with you?" She asked.

"Oh, not bad. Dropped some eggs." He said.

"Bummer." Lorelai said.

"Hazard of the business. Am I catching you at a bad time?" Luke asked.

"Oh, no, it's kind of slow here. So slow, in fact, that Michel and I were about to get the tetherball out." Lorelai joked.

"That's the thing with a ball tethered to a rope, right?" Luke asked playing along.

"Hey, I never knew that's where the tether comes from." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, it's tethered. It's tied, like an anchor is tethered to a rope on a boat."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

"So...did you need anything?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh...yeah actually! If I needed a room or two for a couple of days, would that be possible?" He asked.

"You need rooms?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Like nine." He admitted.

"You need nine rooms?" She asked confused.

"Just for a couple of days, Wednesday and Thursday."

"Uh...well, I can take care of that. What's it for?" She asked typing it into the computer.

"Oh I've just got some family coming in, that's all." He said.

"Reunion? Because we can get the tetherball out." Lorelai joked.

"Nah..uh...funeral." He admitted.

"What?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"Yeah, my Uncle Louie died last night and I'm arranging the funeral for him." Luke told her.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry!" Lorelai exclaimed, getting a concerned look from Charlotte. "Here I was babbling about tetherball..."

"You weren't babbling. It's fine." He assured her.

"Well, you've got nine rooms, Wednesday and Thursday." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"It's a done deal." She nodded.

"Thanks." He said gratefully.

"Luke, I'm so, so sorry." Lorelai said softly.

"It's okay. It sounds like he went peaceful and he was eighty-five so..." Luke said.

"Yeah...but it's always hard. Uh...are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Luke said softly. "Thanks."

"Can I help you with anything else?"

"No, the rooms are help enough."

"Are you sure, because I'm dealing with my mom now and I'd be happy to rush over and help with whatever. You'd be doing me a favour." She joked.

Luke chuckled. "The rooms are all I need, thanks." He said.

"You're welcome." Lorelai smiled.

"Well, I've got to go."

"Call if you need anything."

"I will." He said. "By the way, that French guy's a putz."

"Oh yeah, he knows he's a putz." Lorelai smirked at Charlotte who grinned.

"Alright, see ya."

"Bye Luke." She smiled hanging up. She then sighed.

"What's happened?" Charlotte asked.

"His uncle died last night." Lorelai said.

"Oh no, poor Luke!" Charlotte said sympathetically. "Is he ok?"

"He says he is. But how about we go get Rory and go get a Luke's fix before you go to school?" She suggested.

"Ok." Charlotte nodded. "Do you think she's fit all those books in her backpack yet?" She joked.

"Doubt it!" Lorelai laughed. "Michel, hold the fort?" She said.

"Like I don't always do that." He said sarcastically.

"Thanks!" Lorelai grinned before walking out with Charlotte.

* * *

The three of them were soon walking down the street towards the diner.

"It's so sad." Rory said.

"I know." Lorelai said.

"Was Luke...like...shaken over his uncle dying?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. He's so unflappable. It's hard to tell." Lorelai said.

"The man definitely can't be flapped." Charlotte nodded.

They entered the diner and saw that Luke was on the phone while several customers tried to get his attention. He went over to them with two plates, looking stressed, his ear still attached to the phone.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lorelai asked. "Whoa, watch it!" She said as he nearly dropped the plates.

"Yeah I know..." He said handing the plates over to Rory and Charlotte so that he wouldn't drop them. "Yeah thanks. I'm on the phone." He said.

"We noticed." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, I can't serve and be on the phone." He said.

"We noticed that, too." Charlotte said as they all followed him up to the counter.

"But your reenactment of Jerry Lewis in The Diner Guy is going to wow the critics." Lorelai joked.

"Where should the poached eggs go?" Rory asked.

"Crank in the hat." He grunted nodded towards Si.

"Hey, I'm not a crank! You're a crank, crank!" Si grumbled.

"He is a crank." Rory commented but went over to deliver his food.

"And the French toast?" Charlotte asked.

"Lady with the giant purse." He said.

"Got it." She nodded and went over to deliver her plate of food.

"Hello? How about that coffee?" Kirk asked.

"I got it." Lorelai said quickly seeing that Luke was at the end of his tether.

"Thanks." He said gratefully.

"But...but mine's a quarter caf." Kirk said.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

"Three-fourths decaf, one-fourth caffeinated." He explained.

"I four-fourths don't care." Lorelai said.

"Fill it up." Kirk sighed.

"Sorry about this." Luke sighed.

"It's ok." Lorelai smiled. "We're running out of coffee by the way."

"I'll make some more." He said.

"No, I got it."

"Do you know how?" He asked.

"Do I...huh...you're asking the world's biggest coffee drinker if she knows how to make coffee?" Lorelai asked.

"Sorry, my mistake." Luke smirked.

"Hey Luke, where's Jess?" Charlotte asked looking round.

"I don't know." He said.

"School?" Rory suggested.

"Please!" Luke scoffed. "He's probably upstairs."

"Really? Excuse me." Charlotte said heading to the stairs and disappearing upstairs. She knocked on Luke's apartment door. "Jess, open up! I know you're in there." She called.

The door opened. "My, aren't we bright eyed and bushy tailed." Jess commented.

"Luke needs you downstairs." Charlotte said.

"Why?"

"Why? Did you seriously ask why? Because your great uncle, Luke's uncle, died last night and he's on the phone trying to sort out funeral arrangements with someone and Caesar's off today and the place is packed and he needs help!" She exclaimed.

"I'm in the middle of something." Jess said.

"Seriously?" Charlotte asked raising her eyebrows at him.

"Ok I guess I'm at the end of it." Jess said dryly.

"Good choice mister." Charlotte said. "Now move it." She said dragging him by the arm and pulling him out and towards the stairs.

Back down in the diner, Lorelai had made some more coffee and refilled Kirk's cup.

"I need some more suagr." He said.

"There's one right there." Lorelai pointed to his little packet of sugar.

"I need seven." Kirk said.

"Seven? You're not squirrelling these away in your pocket for home use, are you, Kirk?" Lorelai asked raising her eyebrows.

"No, I use seven in my coffee." He said.

"Ok, good, then allow me." She smiled, pouring seven packets into his coffee. "There you go. Go ahead and give that a taste, see if it's to your liking."

Kirk took a sip of it and tried to hide his grimace. "Perfection." He said.

"Good." She grinned.

Just then Jess stumbled into the diner, followed by Charlotte.

"Well, you're very graceful." Lorelai smirked.

"She pushed me." Jess grumbled.

"Yeah, well sue me." Charlotte said.

"I could have broken my neck." He protested.

"As long as it's not your arm. We need your arm." Charlotte grinned holding out the coffee jug for him.

"Despot." He grumbled but took the coffee jug and walked off.

* * *

Later that day, after school, Charlotte and Rory were back at the diner helping out. Taylor was sat at a table mumbling to himself as Rory walked by.

"Turnips, turnips, turnips..." He mumbled.

"What?" Rory asked refilling his coffee cup.

"Huh?" Taylor said looking up.

"What about turnips?" She asked.

"Why did you say turnips?" He asked accusingly.

"Because you just said turnips." Rory said.

"No, I didn't." He protested.

"You did."

"No."

"Ok." Rory said, giving up.

"But I've got turnips." Taylor said. "Good ones! They may not be as big They're not as big as that troubadour freak's turnips but who needs big turnips? I have nice, humble turnips."

"Okie dokie." Rory said walking up to the counter where Charlotte and her mom were. "Taylor's wigging." She told them.

"I know. Is he still going on about turnips?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yep! Apparently his are humble ones." Rory nodded.

"Oh Taylor..." Lorelai said shaking her head.

"Keep an eye on him." Rory told her.

Just then a customer walked in and sat down at the counter.

"Hello there, how's it going?" Lorelai smiled at him.

"Very good, young lady. Are you still serving breakfast?" He asked

"We serve it all day. What would you like?"

"Two eggs up on toast please." He said.

"Up? Are you sure you wouldn't rather have them scrambled?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope, up's how I like them thanks." He said.

"Come on, scrambled's better. Give it a shot! Say you want two scrambled eggs on toast, please?" Lorelai smiled.

"Ok, young lady, two scrambled eggs on toast." He said giving her a weird look.

"Adam and Eve on a raft and wreck them!" Lorelai grinned calling through to the kitchen. "That's real live diner talk!" She grinned at the customer. "The wreck them is the scrambled part."

"I guessed that." He smiled.

"You're enjoying this far too much." Charlotte smirked.

"I know!" Lorelai grinned.

"I don't believe it, I don't believe it!" Taylor exclaimed just as Kirk walked into the diner.

"Oh great!" Lorelai groaned.

"I'll take Taylor, you take Kirk." Charlotte smirked walking off to Taylor.

"Hey Kirk." Lorelai smiled at him.

"Hello. Where's Luke?" Kirk asked.

"Oh, he's busy with some stuff so Charlotte, Rory and I are helping out. What can I get you?" She smiled.

"I don't know. I want lunch, but I'm not sure what to get." He said.

"I have a suggestion. How about a hamburger with some strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert?" Lorelai said.

"Sounds good." He nodded.

Lorelai looked around and saw it was fairly quiet. Rory was making more coffee while Charlotte was delivering orders to the customers they had. She grabbed a plate from the kitchen and then headed upstairs and knocked on Luke's apartment door.

"Hey! I brought you a wimpy with a rose pinned on it." She smiled at him when he answered the door.

"A what?" He asked confused.

"Turkey burger with onions." She said.

"Oh, thanks. Come on in." He said stepping aside.

"How's the money pit coming?" Lorelai smiled looking round at the newly renovated apartment.

"Oh it's...well...that's it." Luke said gesturing to the expansion.

"Are you ok? What's the matter?" Lorelai asked noticing he wasn't himself.

"Nothing." He said but then he sighed. "None of them are coming, not one."

"Who?" She asked.

"My relatives, the ones I booked all the rooms for. Not one of them is coming to Louie's funeral!" He exclaimed.

"You're kidding! Why?" She asked.

"I don't know, which lame excuse do you want to hear first? A bunch of them claimed they can't get out of work." Luke said.

"It's not so lame." Lorelai commented.

"Randy and Barbara don't want to miss their brat kid's rugby semifinal."

"Rugby has semifinals?"

"My sister never even called back." Luke ranted. "My cousins Paul and Jim, who my dad helped put through college, said they were too exhausted from a fishing trip. And slightly disturbed cousin Franny said she can't leave because her Petey's sick."

"Son?"

"Parrot."

"Petey the parrot?" Lorelai smirked.

"I saw the stupid thing once on a visit, flapping its wings like crazy, banging around, squawking the only two words it knows over and over." He exclaimed. "Petey and gorgeous. 'Gorgeous, Petey, gorgeous, Petey!'" He mimicked.

"That's disturbing." Lorelai said pulling a face.

"My family's disturbing." Luke grumbled sitting down at the table.

"I'm so sorry." Lorelai said softly.

"This is wrong!" He said. "This is not how it's done! A family member dies, you pay your respects. Period."

"Look at it this way." Lorelai said trying to make him feel better. "If they don't want to be there, you don't want them there."

"My dad wanted them to be there." Luke said quietly.

"I know. But hey, Louie lived in Stars Hollow most of his life, so a lot of people from here will be there, right?" She said.

"I guess you're right." He sighed.

"I know it's upsetting, but maybe it's better this way." Lorelai said softly.

Luke gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I guess." He said. "Thanks."

Just then Charlotte walked into the apartment. "Hey mom?" She said.

"Yeah honey? You got a herd of bulls shopping for China?" She grinned.

"What?" Luke asked confused.

"Customers. How long have you owned a diner?" She exclaimed.

"Sorry." He rolled his eyes.

"No we're fine." Charlotte said. "But Jackson's outside and he wants to talk to you. He says it's important."

"About what?"

"I don't know but he seems upset."

"Oh ok." Lorelai said. She turned to Luke and smiled. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Luke said. "You go to Jackson."

"Ok." She smiled. "You might want to study up on that diner talk." She joked.

"I'll get right on that tonight." He smirked.

"Good!" Lorelai grinned before getting up and heading downstairs.

"Hey Luke, where's Jess?" Charlotte asked looking round.

"I don't know, he's probably out playing basketball or something." Luke said.

"Urgh seriously?" Charlotte said shaking her head.

* * *

Charlotte found Jess on the basketball court by Stars Hollow High. She watched him for a moment and couldn't help but smile as he effortlessly jumped up and scored a basket from quite a way off. After she watched him walk to the side to have a drink, she walked over to him. "Isn't there somewhere you should be?" She asked.

Jess looked over at her. "Hey." He said.

"Hi." She said. "Luke needs your help at the diner. Why do you keep bailing on him?"

"I'm not bailing on him. I would only get in the way. Your mom, you and Rory are all helping out. You don't need my help." He said.

"Yes we do. And I know it would mean a lot to Luke knowing you were helping him out." Charlotte said.

"I think he's fine." Jess commented.

"He's not fine. He's all stressed about letting his dad down. None of your relatives are coming to the funeral." Charlotte told him.

"Wait what? Why?" Jess asked.

"I don't know. I just overheard Luke telling my mom and he seemed really upset about it." She said. "You're his family as well, Jess. Prove to him that his family's not all unreliable."

"Let me score another basket first." He said.

"No, now!" Charlotte said shaking her head, grabbing hold of his sleeve and started dragging him away.

"Hey!" He exclaimed.

"You want to keep dating me, you'll stop complaining." She smirked dragging him over to the diner, past her mom and Jackson stood outside.

"Watch the shirt!" Jess said.

"Cork it!" Charlotte replied pulling him into the diner.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked into the town meeting to find everyone already sat there.

"Late again, are we?" Taylor said sarcastically, spotting them come in.

"Yes, I hope I'm not pregnant!" Lorelai joked.

"What?" Taylor said.

"Are these seats taken?" Lorelai asked Luke, gesturing to the three seats next to him and Jess.

"Don't drag me into this." Luke said.

"You really have to work on your punctuality, Lorelai. I banged the meeting in a half an hour ago." Taylor said.

"Oooh dirty!" Charlotte grinned.

"I'm going to take advantage of this unexpected pause in our proceedings to confer with Miss Patty about the next item on our agenda." Taylor said before turning to talk to Miss Patty.

"What did we miss?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Harry's retiring." Luke told them.

"The twinkle light man?" Rory exclaimed. "Where are we going to go for twinkle lights now?"

"At any discount store?" Luke said dryly.

"Blasphemy." Lorelai scoffed.

Charlotte looked over at Jess. "So you finally decided to show your face at a town meeting?" She asked him.

"Well, Corky's Country Cavalcade on public access was preempted, so I thought I'd check out the next best thing." Jess smirked.

"Well don't we feel privileged." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm surprised you have time to be here." Lorelai said to Luke.

"I don't, but I haven't been able to get any of the war reenactors on the phone and I have to confirm them for Louie's funeral." Luke told her.

"Alright now, the last order of business is a matter relating personally to me, therefore I'm going to give Miss Patty my gavel." Taylor announced getting everyone's attention again.

"Dirty!" Lorelai and Charlotte said in unison before grinning at each other.

"Stop that!" Taylor sighed. He then gave Miss Patty his gavel. "Now don't go power mad." He warned her.

"Oh alright! Now the chair recognizes Taylor Doose. Taylor, you have the floor." Miss Patty said.

"Thank you, Patty. My issue, ladies and gentlemen, is in the form of a grievance against this hippie who opened a produce stand in the park..." Taylor started before going on a rant about him and how his store is losing business.

"Another fun one!" Lorelai grinned, standing up, when it finished.

"Taylor, hold on a second!" Luke called after Taylor before disappearing.

Charlotte turned to Jess as Lorelai and Rory left. "Don't you have some cleaning up to do over at the diner?" She teased.

"Oh yeah, I just can't wait." Jess said dryly.

Charlotte grinned and walked out with him. "Bet you're glad you didn't miss the meeting now."

"Sure was entertaining." Jess smirked.

"Well that's our town!" She grinned.

They stopped when they saw Luke arguing with all the reenactors. They exchanged glances when they heard Taylor and the others refuse to take part in the funeral and then comparing Luke to Louie. They watched Luke storm off and Taylor and the others head in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked Jess as he started walking in a different direction to the diner.

"Doing something right for once!" Jess called back.

Charlotte smiled when she realised Jess was heading the same way Taylor and the other men had gone.

* * *

The following day Charlotte, Rory and Jess were working in the diner when Lorelai walked in. "Has Luke come back here?" She asked.

"No, haven't seen him. Why?" Rory asked.

"Nothing. He just had a bit of a freak out, that's all. He's just really stressed about the funeral." Lorelai sighed.

"Poor Luke." Charlotte said sympathetically.

"Yeah." Lorelai sighed.

Just then Luke entered the diner.

"Luke, there you are! I was worried." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, sorry. I should have called." He said ashamed. "Thanks for covering again. This will be the last time, I promise."

"It's ok. I've just got back myself. These three have been covering." Lorelai said gesturing to the teenagers.

"On which note, I'm heading up now you're back." Jess said heading for the stairs.

"Where were you?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Well, at first, I walked around a bit just trying to clear my head." Luke said. "Saw a lot of Hartford. What a cesspool." He smirked.

"Well, you're not a city man." Lorelai smirked.

"Then I calmed down after a while and I figured dumping Louie's body in an open grave with all his stuff probably would be a little cold." He admitted.

"Just a tad." She smirked, glad he was starting to seem like himself again.

"So I got a Yellow Pages and I found the Big and Tall Casket Shop in Hartford." He explained.

"You're kidding!" Lorelai laughed.

"Nope, I found a casket that would fit my hundred and sixty pound uncle and his hundred and forty pounds of stuff, got the lid to shut the first time we tried it so the funeral's on as scheduled." He said.

"Good." Lorelai smiled.

"I still don't know why I'm doing this." Luke sighed.

"You're doing it for your dad." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Yeah, I guess." He said quietly. "Although he's dead so he'd never know if I was doing it any different."

"He knows." Lorelai assured him. "He's got the big Luke picture screen on twenty four hours a day and he watches and smiles. And you're doing it because you're you." She smiled. "That's why you're my best friend."

"I'm your best friend?" He asked surprised.

"Well...my guy best friend because Sookie would kill me if she heard me say that." Lorelai joked.

"And your daughters." Charlotte chipped him passing them.

"Ok well I'm going to change real fast and you can retire from your diner career forever." Luke smiled.

"Oh no, it's fun. I came up with some new diner phrases. Do you know what a Lucky Duck Cluck is?" She grinned.

"Not offhand." He smirked.

"It's foie gras with chicken and green shamrock frosting."

"Why would anyone ever order that?" He grimaced.

"If they're high!" Lorelai grinned. She then groaned when she saw her mother enter the diner. "Urgh great..."

"What?" Luke said.

"I've just felt a dark cloud passing over the diner." Lorelai said nodding towards her mother. "You better retreat."

"I won't be long." He said before disappearing upstairs.

"Hi Mom!" Lorelai forced a smile on her face.

"Since when do you work here?" Emily asked surprised. "And Charlotte and Rory..." She said spotting her granddaughters walking around in aprons.

"We're just lending a hand. What's going on?" She asked.

"I went by the inn to work with Sookie on her wedding." Emily said.

"Yeah?"

"And she fired me." Emily said stiffly.

"I'm sure she didn't fire you." Lorelai sighed.

"She claims to have changed her mind on all the things we had planned." Emily exclaimed.

"Well, maybe she did mom." Lorelai said.

"No, she didn't. I know what's behind this. That is, who's behind this." Emily glared at her.

Lorelai sighed. "Mom, it was getting to be too much for her and too much for her fiancé. They're not wealthy people."

"I knew it!" Emily said. "I don't see what was so wrong with my just helping Sookie plan her wedding."

"Mom, come on."

"What, come on?"

"You weren't planning Sookie's wedding. You were planning mine." Lorelai said.

"Don't be ridiculous." Emily snapped.

"Mom, your vision for this wedding and all the over the top stuff. Who were you actually visualising seeing walk down the aisle?"

"I wasn't planning your wedding, Lorelai." Emily repeated firmly.

"Right. Ok." Lorelai said obviously not believing her.

"The wedding I was planning was for Sookie. The mushrooms and colours, they all seemed like fun. A little crazy, just like she is. It definitely was not for you."

"Ok." Lorelai shrugged.

"I know that in a million years, you would never let me plan your wedding. I gave up on that dream a long time ago. Yours was going to be a Russian winter theme, the Romanovs." She said.

"Before the firing squad, I assume?" Lorelai asked raising her eyebrows.

"Snow white roses, trees with white lights and candles, snow everywhere, you arriving in a silver sleigh with white horses." Emily said smiling a little.

"Wow." Lorelai said.

"You hate the idea." Emily frowned.

"No...I just..." Lorelai protested.

"You just hate it."

"No. It just...doesn't seem like me." She said.

"Yes, well, it would have been beautiful." Emily said.

"I'm sure it would have been."

"Anyhow, it's obvious that wouldn't even be appropriate anymore being as I'm probably standing in your reception hall." She said looking around imperiously.

"What?" Lorelai frowned.

"Burgers and fries for the dinner? The bride walks down the aisle with a ketchup dispenser in her hand." Emily said.

"What are you going on about?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I'm talking about Luke." Emily said.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked. "Mom!" She exclaimed.

"Well it's obvious, Lorelai." She said.

"No it's really not, Mom!" Lorelai said.

"You're with him constantly." She said.

"He feeds me."

"You bring up his name constantly."

"Once again, he feeds me."

"The moment he calls, you run to his side." Emily pointed out.

"He's my friend! He needed me. I had to be there." Lorelai exclaimed. "Plus Charlotte and Rory are here as well!"

Lorelai groaned. She glared at her daughters who she spotted by the kitchen stifling a laugh.

Luke then appeared from behind the curtain. He walked over to Lorelai but stopped when he realised everyone looking at him. "Hi..." He said.

"Hello." Emily said politely. "I have to go. I'll see you for dinner tonight, Lorelai. And Luke, I'm sure I'll see you again soon." Emily smiled sweetly heading towards the door. She then turned around and looked at Luke. "What do you think of the Romanovs?" She asked.

"Uh...they probably had it coming." He said.

Emily rolled her eyes. "A match made in heaven." She said before leaving.

"What was that about?" Luke asked.

"Believe me. You really don't want to know." Lorelai sighed.

* * *

Charlotte was walking down the street in the square on her way to meet Rory at the book store before they were going to head to the diner to meet up with their mom and Luke after the funeral. She was surprised when she saw Jess leaving the diner in some smart clothes, giving a key to Miss Patty before walking away from the diner. She crossed the road towards him. "Hey." She said.

"Oh hey." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You look smart." She commented. "I hope you don't have a date." She joked.

Jess smirked. "As if." He said.

Charlotte smiled when she noticed how sincere his tone was. "So where are you off to?" She asked.

"I hear today's a good day for a funeral." He said.

"You're going to Louie's funeral?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Well as you've pointed out several times, I am Luke's family and doesn't family normally show up for family funerals?" Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah they do." She said softly. "I'm glad you're going. Luke's going to be touched."

"Doubt it. He'll probably ask who's watching the diner." Jess shrugged but glanced down at the ground self consciously.

"No he won't." Charlotte smiled. "He'll be touched." She said softly. "And I can't be even more in love with you than I am right now."

Jess glanced up and gave her a small smile. "I better go." He said.

"Yeah ok." Charlotte said. She leant in and gave him a kiss. "See you later."

"Yeah see you later." He nodded before walking off.

* * *

"We're here, of course, to honour Louie, to pay our respects and to bid him a sorrowful goodbye." The reverend said outside the church and Luke and Lorelai were stood next to each other watching Louie's coffin be lowered into the ground.

"Are you ok?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Yeah. I'm just not that big on funerals in general." Luke admitted.

"Nobody is." Lorelai said softly.

"He passed away in his sleep, so the end came peacefully for Louie, which I'm sure is a great comfort to all who knew him." The reverend continued.

"The passing away part was a great comfort for all who knew him." Luke commented.

"I didn't know him." The reverend said.

"Good thing." Luke said.

"But I understand he was a fine man, destined to be missed by many..."

"Especially ones that were suing him." Luke grumbled.

"Stop!" Lorelai said. "Sorry father." She said.

"Reverend." The reverend corrected her.

"Right." Lorelai said.

"Now let us witness Louie Danes as he is interred and brought to the Lord." The reverend continued.

"It was a nice service. Nice and...uh...intimate." Lorelai smiled.

"I guess everybody deserves something at the end." Luke sighed. He turned to her and gave her a small smile. "Thanks for coming." He said softly.

"I wouldn't have missed it." She said sincerely.

"That isn't me, is it?" Luke suddenly asked watching Louie's coffin continue to be lowered.

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked confused.

"What Taylor said about me being like Louie. A loner, never being married and stuff...I mean I am getting crankier as I get older, he's not so far off." Luke said quietly.

"You are not your uncle." Lorelai said firmly. "I mean, would Louie ever build someone a chuppah, or help fix things around someone's house without being asked, or make a special coffee cake with balloons for two girls' sixteenth birthdays?" She pointed out.

Luke turned to her. "Who told you about that?" He asked.

"Charlotte." Lorelai smiled.

"Of course." Luke said, glancing down embarrassed.

"Yes. And would Louie have taken in his sister's kid without hesitating and without asking for anything in return?" She continued.

"No one would have trusted Louie with their kid. He probably would have forgotten to feed him or something." Luke said gruffly.

"You get my point?" Lorelai asked softly.

Luke glanced at her and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I get it." He said softly. "Thanks."

Lorelai nodded and linked arms with him. They then heard drumming in the distance. They looked up to see one of the reenactors appear on the horizon.

"Is that Andrew?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Looks like it." She said.

"That's all of them!" Luke said surprised as the others appeared behind Andrew and started doing the salute. He glanced at Lorelai who was smiling up at them. "Thanks." He said.

"For what?" Lorelai asked.

"It wasn't you who persuaded them to come?" Luke asked surprised.

"No, sorry." She said just as confused. "Maybe they changed their minds..."

"Maybe..." He said but was unconvinced.

"Or maybe a certain other someone knows something about it." Lorelai smiled.

"What? Who?" Luke asked.

Lorelai gestured towards Jess who was awkwardly walking up towards them, his hands in his pockets.

"Jess..." Luke said surprised.

"I missed it, didn't I?" Jess said. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I got a bit lost..."

"You came." Luke said still surprised.

"I know you're probably wondering who's looking after the diner and stuff but I figured, since this was a family funeral, and Louie was my great uncle even though I didn't know him...I just thought I should be here. I can go back to the diner if you want..." Jess said going to turn away.

"No." Luke said softly. He gave Jess a smile. "I'm glad you're here. I don't care that you're late. I'm just glad you're here." He said.

Jess just nodded. He then grimaced as Kirk started playing the tuba out of tune. "Geez..." He said.

"Yeah..." Luke said but chuckled.

* * *

The three of them headed back to the diner afterwards.

"Do you think he's in heaven?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"I hope so, just so my dad can kick his butt around the place." Luke smirked.

"Can you kick when you're in heaven?" Lorelai asked.

"It's probably frowned upon." Jess smirked.

"Yeah, plus you're all see through and ghost like so your dad's foot could go right through him." Lorelai joked.

"This is a silly conversation." Luke said shaking his head. "Hey, what's all this?" He asked.

Lorelai and Jess looked up to see the diner packed with townspeople. "No idea." Lorelai said following them inside.

They were met by Charlotte and Rory who walked up to greet them.

"Hi!" Lorelai smiled at her daughters.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"It's kind of like a wake." Rory told them.

"A wake?" Luke asked surprised.

"For Louie?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. We thought you set it up." Charlotte said.

"I didn't set it up." Lorelai said looking round.

"Well, it's going well anyway. People brought a ton of food if you're hungry." Rory smiled.

"On which note..." Jess said heading over to the counter.

"Oh, I'll be right back." Rory said.

Charlotte smiled when she saw Rory greet Tristan who was hovering outside. "Good move." She said to herself watching her sister hug Tristan. She then glanced over to the counter where Jess was and smiled, remembering seeing Jess hand over some keys to Miss Patty. She wandered over to him. "Nice spread right?" She smiled.

"People have too much free time in this town." Jess said.

"You really exceeded yourself today." She commented.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Rory and I thought my mom set this up. Turns out she didn't." She said.

"So?" Jess said. He saw Charlotte smiling at him. "It wasn't me." He said.

"It wasn't?" Charlotte said not believing him.

"Nope." He said. He saw her still smiling at me. "It wasn't!" He exclaimed.

"Ok, if you say so." She smirked.

Jess groaned. "Look, the crazy ballet teacher called and asked when Luke was getting back from the funeral and if I could unlock the door for her. I left for the funeral, gave her the key and then left."

"So you did do a little something." Charlotte pointed out.

"I gave her the keys." Jess said.

"So that people could come in here and put this together. Nice." Charlotte smiled.

"Nice for them, not for me." He said.

"You facilitated it, you made it happen." She grinned. "So I guess that means that you're officially apart of our town now."

"Hang on a minute!" He protested.

"Welcome boyfriend!" She grinned.

"I am not part of this town!"

"See you for some tree planting over at the Arbour Day Festival." Charlotte teased.

"Yeah, well maybe I can knock over a liquor store while everyone else is planting those stupid trees." Jess retorted.

"As long as it's a liquor store in town, boyfriend." She grinned.

"Geez, cut it out will you?!" Jess groaned.

"You love me really." Charlotte grinned linking arms with him. "Admit it."

Jess smirked slightly. "I guess you're not that bad."

"Gee thanks!" She laughed. She glanced over to the table where everyone was gathered around Babette who was telling a story about Louie. Rory and Tristan had joined them as well. "Come on." She said leading Jess over.

They listened as all the townspeople started telling stories about Louie in turn.

Charlotte turned to Jess. "This is nice." She said softly.

"It's not too bad." Jess said gruffly.

Charlotte smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek and went back to listening to the stories.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Just to let you know, I'm going away for the weekend so won't be able to update until Tuesday, sorry! Please keep your reviews coming as I love reading what you think! And they really do motivate me so thank you! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back! Thank you for being patient! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 12

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were standing in the checkout line in Dooses' as Lorelai flipped through a crossword puzzle book.

"Urgh I hate crossword puzzles! They make me feel stupid." Lorelai groaned.

"Here's a suggestion then. Don't do them." Charlotte joked.

"Oh but if you don't do them, you're not only stupid, you're also a coward." Lorelai pointed out.

"Or you have better things to do with your time?" Rory suggested.

"Do you think people will buy that?" She asked.

"Who?" Charlotte asked.

"If you mean the people who line up on a daily basis and ask you if you do crossword puzzles and then, when you say no, challenge you as to why then yes, I think they will buy it." Rory said dryly.

"I feel like you're both mocking me." Lorelai pouted.

"That's what we're here for." Charlotte grinned.

They got to the front of the checkout line. "Hey Taylor, are you pulling double duty today?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, I like to fill in behind the register every now and then." He said. "It keeps me in contact with the clientele. Also, it allows me to keep an eye on the 'take a penny' pot here and make sure people aren't pocketing those pennies for their own personal gain but are legitimately using them to make exact change. A certain boyfriend of one of your daughters springs to mind." Taylor said glancing at Charlotte.

"Jess doesn't steal your pennies, Taylor. Just give him a break." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Yes well, you can tell him to not even try it because I will be here all day." Taylor said.

"I'll be sure to give him the good news." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Oh cool! Mom, Charlie, look!" Rory said excitedly pointing to a poster.

"Oh yeah, it's Movie in the Square night again!" Lorelai said just as excited.

"Cool! Those are always great!" Charlotte grinned.

"We'll be there." Rory told Taylor.

"Ah, excellent." Taylor smiled. "Here you are." He said giving them their things.

"What's the movie this year?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, it's going to be something really great." Taylor said.

"Really, what?" Lorelai asked.

"A real winner." He said.

"What's it called?" Rory asked.

"Well, show up and be surprised." Taylor said.

"Why won't you tell us what the movie is?" Lorelai asked.

"Because it won't be a surprise otherwise." He said.

"Oh no..." Charlotte said.

"There's a line behind you." Taylor said.

"You chose The Yearling again, didn't you?" Charlotte groaned.

"It is a fine, wholesome motion picture. Moving story, lovely scenes of nature." Taylor defended his choice.

"Urghh you've shown The Yearling the last three years in a row!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You know something, I'm getting a little tired of hearing you three complain about this every single year."

"I'm tired, too! Pick another movie." Lorelai said.

"A lot of hard work and careful planning go into those nights. You never help plan, you never volunteer, you have never once been a ticket ripper as long as I have been involved in that function. Personally, if you can't participate with a smile and a hug, then you shouldn't participate at all." He said imperiously.

"I shouldn't, but I am. Pick another movie." Lorelai exclaimed.

"No!" He said exasperated.

"Taylor, there's millions of great movies out there. Any one of them would be better than The Yearling for the fourth time." Charlotte said.

"Fine, you do it!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"You three pick the movie." Taylor said.

"Seriously?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"I've had it. You have such strong opinions about everything, you go out and try to find a movie that everybody will enjoy. It's all yours. I relinquish my movie picking crown to you."

"He relinquished his crown." Lorelai grinned at her daughters.

"We heard." Rory said.

"I got his crown." Lorelai grinned.

"Uhh no, we got his crown." Charlotte corrected her.

"Cool, this is going to be fun! Let's go home and make popcorn and pick which movie we're going to show." Lorelai said excitedly.

"Sounds good!" Charlotte grinned and with that the three of them left the store and headed home.

* * *

The next morning, they still hadn't come up with a movie choice. Lorelai was sat on Rory's bed in Charlotte and Rory's room putting on makeup as the girls were getting ready for school.

"The Wizard of Oz?" Lorelai suggested.

"The Sting?" Rory suggested.

"Rocky!" Charlotte grinned.

"Ooh, I got it!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Arthur."

"Yes!" Charlotte and Rory exclaimed in unison.

"Or Sophie's Choice." Lorelai said.

"Very similar." Rory nodded.

"Oh man, I can't choose, there's too many great movies!" Lorelai groaned. "The burden is overwhelming. I'm sinking under the pressure. My grasp on reality is slipping. I can't do it, I can't hold on, I just can't, I just..." She exclaimed melodramatically.

"We can do it." Charlotte grinned.

Just then the phone rang.

"Will you get that?" Charlotte asked their mom.

"No." Lorelai said.

"Why not?" Rory asked confused.

"Time?" Lorelai said.

"6:45." Charlotte said.

"On?" Lorelai said.

"Wednesday..." Rory said and then she understood and rushed to the phone with Charlotte. "Hi dad!" She grinned.

"Hey dad!" Charlotte shouted down the phone as well.

"Hey kiddos, what's going on?" Chris smiled.

"Not much. Just getting ready for school and trying to think up movies." Rory told him.

"Movies for what?" He asked.

"Our town does this big movie festival outdoors every year and this year we get to pick the movie." Rory said.

"Oh yeah? How did you get that gig?" He asked.

"Mom ticked off the guy that usually does it and he quit." Charlotte grinned.

"Sounds about right." Chris chuckled.

"So how are things there? How's Sherry?" Rory asked.

"Oh...uh...nothing much is going on here. Same old, same old. Hey, listen, I've got to cut this talk short but I sent you both an email, so read it and add an extra forty minutes onto my time for next week's call, deal?" He said.

"Deal." Charlotte said.

"Hey, do you want to say hello to Mom before you go?" Rory asked.

"Oh...uh...no it's ok. I really need to run. You say hello for me." He said.

"Ok." Rory said.

"Ok, I'll talk to you both on Wednesday. Bye girls." Chris said.

"Bye Dad." Rory said.

"Bye!" Charlotte called down the phone.

"He says hello." Rory told their mom.

"He does not." Lorelai said.

"So, are you going to tell us what it is you two are fighting about?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm not fighting." Lorelai said stubbornly.

"Ok, are you going to tell us what it is you're not fighting about that keeps you from talking to each other ever again?" Charlotte smirked.

"What about Desperately Seeking Susan?" Lorelai said changing the subject.

"What about, our mother is two?" Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Never saw it. Angie Dickinson?" She said.

"You're impossible." Charlotte said shaking her head.

"You're right. You're Impossible was the one with Angie Dickinson." Lorelai grinned.

"Fine, forget it." Charlotte sighed. "Stay in a fight. We're late for school. We'll finish the list later."

"After school, Luke's?" Lorelai suggested.

"We'll be there." Rory said.

"Bye sweets." Lorelai smiled.

"Bye mom." Rory said.

"See ya later!" Charlotte said grabbing her bag and then following her sister out of the room.

* * *

The following day, Lorelai was sat at the kitchen table going through the huge book of movie titles that Taylor had given them as Charlotte and Rory walked in from school.

"Marshmallow?" She offered them.

"Thank you." Rory said taking one and then giving one to Charlotte as well.

"Ok, so I have now finished going through every single one of these movies. I've read them, reviewed them and I'm proud to announce that I have chosen our movie. How does The Yearling sound to you?" She grinned.

"Perfect." Rory nodded.

"Taylor will be happy." Charlotte smirked.

"And buh-bye!" Lorelai exclaimed closing the book with an almighty bang just as there was a knock on the door. "You guys expecting anyone?" She asked.

"Nope." Rory said.

"No. But tell them hey from us." Charlotte smiled following Rory into their bedroom and then closing the door.

Lorelai went to answer the door and found Luke standing on the porch with a box. "Oh hey!" She said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh...well...I made some brownies. I thought you might like some." He said holding up the box.

"Oh, well thanks!" Lorelai said. "Since I just ate half a bag of marshmallows, six Pop Tarts, four bagel dogs and a really stale Cheese Nip, I guess it's brownie time!" She grinned. "Hey, question?"

"Yeah?" Luke said.

"Well, you probably have a diner full of people who would love these brownies. Plus I bet they would pay for them..."

"Oh, well, I accidentally dropped triple the amount of cocoa powder in the batter so I either had to dump the batch or find someone with some sort of superhuman chocolate tolerance. Only one name came to mind. Or three at that." He smirked.

"God, I love being special." Lorelai grinned. She saw him looking round. "What?" She asked.

"Oh nothing. I just...hey, Charlotte isn't here by any chance, is she?" He asked.

"Yeah, her and Rory just got back from school. They're in their room." Lorelai said.

"Do you mind if I talk to her for a sec?" Luke asked.

"Oh..uh...sure, go right ahead." Lorelai said slightly confused.

"Thanks." He said going to knock on the door. "Hey, it's Luke. Can I come in for a minute?" He called through the door.

Charlotte opened it and smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"Not much. Can I...uh...?" He said gesturing to inside the room.

"Oh sure, come on in." Charlotte said, giving her mom a look but only got a shrug in return.

"Sorry Rory. I just wanted to speak to Charlotte for a minute." Luke said.

"It's ok." Rory smiled at him.

"I didn't want to interrupt either of your studying." He said.

"It's cool. What's up?" Charlotte asked sitting down on her bed while Rory got on with her studying.

"Ok, look, I wanted to ask you a favour." Luke sighed. "I was sort of wondering if you could tutor Jess."

"What?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"He's not doing too well in school. The principal said he's not going to let him move on unless something changes. I was wondering if you could help." Luke sighed.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Charlotte frowned. "He's smart enough to pass any subject."

"I don't think it's his lack of smarts, more like his lack of proximity to the actual classes that's the problem." Luke said.

"Ah." Charlotte said understanding. "But why me? Rory's way smarter than me."

"Don't put yourself down." Rory said. "We're interested in different subjects. That doesn't mean one of us is smarter than the other."

"I know it's a big ask but I feel like Jess would listen to you seeing as you're dating and stuff..." Luke said awkwardly. He sighed. "I'm just out of options. He certainly won't listen to me."

"Ok sure, why not?" Charlotte smiled. At least she'd get to spend more time with Jess.

"Look, I don't expect you to work miracles and it doesn't have to be a full time everyday thing. If you could just get him through a couple of his next tests, maybe make the school see that he can do it, that would probably help out a lot." Luke said.

"Sure." Charlotte nodded.

"Great! Thank you." Luke said gratefully. "So tonight?" He asked.

"Tonight." Charlotte smiled.

"I really appreciate this." He smiled gratefully. "Ok well I'll let you get back to your studying. See you guys tonight."

"Se ya Luke!" Charlotte smiled.

"Bye." Rory smiled.

Rory shut their bedroom door and turned to Charlotte. "Did you know Jess was having problems at school?" She asked.

"He never said anything about it to me." Charlotte said.

"Do you think this is such a good idea?" Rory asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You tutoring Jess."

"I thought you told me to do it?" Charlotte frowned confused.

"No I told you that you could do." Rory clarified. "Won't you two just get distracted?"

"Nope." Charlotte said.

"No?"

"I plan to have a full schedule of the subjects he needs to revise and when we'll do it." She grinned.

"Poor Jess." Rory smirked.

"Well I'm his teacher now. I need to take this seriously. Any other questions?" She smirked.

"Nope. I think you're the right person for the job." Rory laughed.

* * *

"Well, at least now we have something fun to do tonight." Lorelai smirked at Rory after Kirk had just walked away having given them a copy of his movie.

"You're not watching that without me!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Fine, we'll wait." Lorelai smirked. "So, are you and Jess staying here to study?" She asked.

"Yep." Charlotte nodded.

"Cool..." Lorelai said.

"Yep."

"So you'll be here when Luke closes?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll bring back some doughnuts." Charlotte smirked.

"You are my favourite daughter!" Lorelai grinned.

"Hey!" Rory said indignantly.

"I didn't mean it like that...I...uh..." Lorelai tried to backtrack.

"Yeah good luck with that one mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"See you later sweets!" Lorelai said. "Come on. We'll get some junk food." She said to Rory, getting up.

"You can't buy my love, you know." Rory pouted following her mom out.

"I know. But it's a start!" She joked.

Charlotte shook her head amused, watching them leave the diner. She turned round when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Teach." Jess smirked.

"Hey." Charlotte grinned. "And it's Miss Gilmore to you."

"Sorry ma'am." He said dryly.

"That's better." She grinned. "So, are you ready to start?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." He said sitting down at her table.

"Where are your books?" She asked.

"Huh. Guess they've disappeared." He said looking round in mock concern.

"How are we going to study without your books?" Charlotte shook her head at his antics.

"I guess we can't. Too bad." Jess said. "So, what now? Movie?" He smirked.

"Nope. Nice try though." She smirked. "Luke asked me to tutor you and that's what I'm going to do so get your books."

"The cat ate them." Jess tried.

"Get your books or I'm going home and you won't get anything special at the end of your tutoring session." She said her eyes twinkling.

"Fine, wait there." He said, going to leave but before he headed to the stairs he turned back around. "Watch this." He said.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked.

Jess took a tea towel and started doing an illusion with it, ending up with an apple in his hand which he offered to her. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I think you're stalling." Charlotte smirked. "But it was a pretty good trick. Now go get your books!"

"Yes ma'am." He smirked.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess were sat at that same table later in the evening. Charlotte was going through a book as Jess played with a deck of cards.

"Ok so explain to me the political ramifications of the Marshall Plan." Charlotte said.

"Pick a card." He said holding them out to her.

Charlotte gave him a look and took the deck and threw them on the floor.

"Huh, well, that just made the trick a little bit harder." Jess smirked.

"Jess, focus!" Charlotte laughed. "We're meant to be studying."

"Yeah meant to be." Jess nodded.

"Why won't you at least try to remember the Marshall Plan?" She asked.

"Have you ever read "Please Kill Me"?" He asked.

"No."

"Huh, oral history of the punk movement. I think you'd like it. You can borrow it if you want." Jess said.

"Jess!" Charlotte sighed. "Look, Luke asked me to help you study. Now, if you don't want to do it then there's no point me being here and I'll just go home. But if I'm staying, then can you please at least try and pay attention?"

"Ok." Jess said. "Sorry."

"Good. Thank you." Charlotte said looking back at the book. She glanced up. "And yes, I would like to borrow it, thank you very much. Now open your book." She said with a slight smirk.

"Anything you say Teach." He smirked, finally opening one of his books.

A bit later, Jess finished writing something on a notepad handing it to Charlotte. "Done." He said.

"This isn't Shakespeare." Charlotte said.

"Huh. It's not?" He asked innocently.

"Did you seriously just spend the last half an hour writing the words to a Clash song?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows at him.

"Ah, but which Clash song?" Jess said.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who's meant to being tested right now." She said but started reading the lyrics.

"Ten seconds." He smirked.

"Jess!"

"Nine, eight, seven..." He counted down.

"Stop it."

"Six, five, four..."

"You're not helping!"

"Three..."

"We're meant to be stud...ooh, Guns of Brixton!" She exclaimed, grinning triumphantly.

"A plus. Well done." Jess smiled.

"Ok why did you even agree to this studying thing in the first place? It's obvious you're not interested in it at all." Charlotte said.

"Because Luke said I had to." Jess said.

"You've never done anything because someone said you had to before." Charlotte pointed out.

"I moved here because someone said I had to." Jess pointed out.

"Very different." Charlotte said.

"Also, I agreed because it would mean spending time with you." Jess said. "Thought it would be nice. I didn't realise it would be such a chore for you." He said dryly.

Charlotte's expression softened. "It's not a chore."

"Could have fooled me."

"I agreed because I wanted to spend time with you as well but Luke asked me a favour. And I don't want to let him down." Charlotte sighed. "You know I love spending time with you." She said softly.

"Yeah I know." He replied. "Hey, do you want to get out of here?" He suddenly asked.

"What? Seriously, do you have the attention span of a five year old?" She laughed.

"I'm sick of studying." He smirked.

"How can you be sick of studying? You haven't done any studying!" She laughed. "You've done card tricks, you've made coffee, you've tried to explain to me how on earth Coldplay could be considered an alternative band, but as of yet, no studying."

"You've got a car right?" He said.

"Yes." Charlotte answered.

"Ok, tell you what. Let's go get some ice cream, and then when we get back, I'll study." Jess compromised.

"This is a diner, there's ice cream here." Charlotte pointed out.

"Yes but we don't have any cones." Jess replied.

"Cones?"

"I need cones." He said.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Ok fine! So if we go get ice cream..." She said.

"In cones." Jess added.

"Then you will be a perfect student for the rest of the night?" She asked.

"That's right. I'll even learn some Shakespeare for you so Luke will see that you did tutor me." Jess smirked.

"Sure you will." Charlotte smirked, not believing him. "Ok fine, let's go."

"Let's." He smiled and they headed out of the diner.

* * *

Later that night, Jess and Charlotte were each eating an ice cream cone in the car as Jess drove back in the direction of the diner.

"Admit it, it's always better in a cone." He said.

"You're right. It so is!" Charlotte nodded.

"Putting ice cream in a dish, eating it with a spoon?"

"What is wrong with people?" She agreed.

"Hold the wheel." He said.

"What?"

"I'm dripping here, hold the wheel."

"I can't hold the wheel, you're driving! The person who's driving has to hold the wheel. That's the first thing they teach you in driver's ed." Charlotte laughed.

"Huh, I've got to take that class one of those days. Take the wheel." He said.

"Jess!"

"I'm letting go." Jess smirked letting go of the wheel.

"Stop!" Charlotte laughed trying to steer from the passenger seat. "Take it back!" She exclaimed. "Ok just so you know, you are taking this wheel back and when you do, I'm going to kill you."

"I appreciate the warning." He smirked.

"Jess!"

"Ok, I got it. Geez, you look pale." He commented. "Are you ok?"

"That's what I get like when I'm in a near death experience. And you'll soon find that out...and it's going to be painful." Charlotte pouted.

"You're not going to kill me. Think how dull your life would be without me." Jess smirked across at her.

Charlotte smirked, looking across at him. "You're right. I would miss you too much." She admitted.

"Good to know." He said.

Charlotte smiled and focused on her ice cream for a bit. She then glanced across at Jess. "Hey can I ask you a serious question?" She asked.

"Shoot." He said.

"You know you're smarter than most of the kids at your school. It takes you like five minutes to finish a book. You read everything, you remember everything, you could ace those classes easily. Why don't you? You don't need a tutor. It's crazy that they're talking about keeping you back a year." Charlotte said.

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"You can do anything you wanted. You can be anything you wanted." She exclaimed.

"Charlie..."

"Is it a cool thing or something?"

"I couldn't care less about being cool." Jess said.

"Well then, tell me! Why aren't you bothering at school?" She asked.

"I'm never going to college, why waste the time in high school?" He shrugged.

"And why aren't you going to college?" She asked.

"Please." He scoffed.

"What? Please what? Why is it so crazy?" She exclaimed.

"Ask my mother, she could give you a couple reasons. Oh, and I'm sure Principal Mertin can chime in with a few good ones himself." He said.

Charlotte suddenly understood. "Your mother doesn't know you like I do. You could do such great things, Jess. You have to go to college." She said softly.

"No, you have to go to college." Jess said.

"But don't you have any plans?" She asked. "Come on, Jess. Be serious for a minute."

"What's the point?" He said.

"Because I believe in you. Luke believes in you. Hell even my mom didn't bat an eyelid when I said I was staying late at the diner to help you study. She's really starting to warm to you. You've got people who really care about you, Jess. Please, at least consider college before dismissing it." Charlotte said earnestly.

Jess glanced across at her and sighed. "Ok fine. I'll consider it."

"Good." Charlotte smiled.

"I'm not promising anything though." He warned.

"Considering it is all I ask." She smiled. "Thank you."

"So, what about you?" He asked.

"What about me?"

"What are your big ambitions?" Jess asked dramatically.

"Art college." Charlotte answered. "Or any university with a really good art course."

"So you really want to pursue with your art then?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said. "Why, do you think I'm not good enough?" She asked suddenly glancing at him.

"No, that's not what I meant. I've seen your sketches. They're good." Jess said.

"Really?" Charlotte asked self consciously.

"Really. Seriously good." He nodded.

"You're not just saying that because you're my boyfriend and you feel like you have to?" She asked suspiciously.

"Could this face lie to you?" Jess asked glancing at her, giving her his best puppy dog face.

Charlotte smirked. "No." She said. She then gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She added quietly.

"Ok, so I just go straight and we'll be back at Luke's." Jess said.

"Good sense of direction." Charlotte nodded.

"Of course, I could turn right and then we'd just be driving around in circles for a while." He commented.

Charlotte glanced at him a smiled. "Turn right." She grinned.

"As you wish." He smirked turning the car to the right and away from Luke's.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory rushed up to the nurse's station later that evening.

"Uh...yes hi!" Lorelai said. "Excuse me? Hi! Uh...my daughter just rang me, she was in a car accident. Her name is Charlotte Gilmore."

"Ok, just take a seat." The nurse said.

"I don't want to take a seat. I want to see my daughter!" Lorelai exclaimed worried.

"It'll be one minute." The nurse said.

"Mom, maybe we should sit?" Rory suggested, trying to calm her down.

"No!" Lorelai said turning back to the nurse's station. "Hey, do you remember in Terms of Endearment, that scene where Shirley MacLaine is in the hospital and freaks out because they won't give her daughter a shot? She got that from me and she toned it down a little. So, once again, I'm looking for my daughter, CharlotteGilmore?"

"First door on your left." The nurse said.

"Thank you." Lorelai said and rushed to the right room, Rory following behind her. "Oh thank god, Charlotte!" She exclaimed in relief as she saw her daughter sat on the bed, a doctor wrapping her arm. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Charlotte reassured her.

"Oh." Lorelai said.

"Please tell her that I'm fine." Charlotte asked the doctor.

"She's fine." The doctor smiled at Lorelai.

"Well, then, what's with the wrapping?" She asked.

"Well..." The doctor said.

"If she's fine, there wouldn't be any wrapping." Lorelai pointed out.

"Her arm hit the dashboard. She sustained a minor hairline fracture to her wrist." The doctor explained.

"So she broke her wrist?" Rory asked.

"No, it's just a fracture." Charlotte told them. "Seriously, I'm fine."

"Honey, let George Clooney talk here, ok?" Lorelai tried to joke.

"It's a tiny fracture, absolutely nothing serious." The doctor reassured her. "I'm going to put a cast on it. She'll wear it for a couple weeks, that's it."

"A cast?"

"It barely hurts, I swear." Charlotte said.

"And that's it? Just the wrist, everything else is fine?"

"She seems perfectly healthy."

"She seems healthy? Did you check everything out?"

"Well, we checked almost everything that could have been affected, yes." The doctor said.

"Almost everything?" Lorelai said.

"Mom!" Charlotte said.

"Ok sorry." She sighed.

"Miss Gilmore, I assure you, we were very thorough. Your daughter is fine." The doctor smiled sympathetically at her.

"I'm sorry. I just freaked out." Lorelai said.

"Understandable." The doctor said. "Right ok Charlotte, the cast is done. I'll just go get your discharge papers and then I'll be right back. You sit still for a minute, ok?"

"Ok." Charlotte said watching the doctor leave.

"Aw." Lorelai said examining the cast.

"I'm really ok, mom." Charlotte said.

"I know." Lorelai said. "I just panicked. Next time, give me details on the phone ok?"

"I told you I was fine." Charlotte said.

"Yeah but that could mean anything!" Lorelai said.

"Are you mad?" She asked.

"No I'm not mad." She said.

"Really? It wasn't Jess' fault. We were driving and then this cat came out of nowhere so he swerved but he lost control and had to emergency brake." Charlotte explained.

"Hence your arm hitting the dashboard." Lorelai sighed.

"It wasn't Jess' fault." Charlotte repeated.

"I never said it was."

"You're not angry at him?"

"No I'm not angry at him. I'm a bit confused as to why you were both in the car when you said you would stay in the diner but I'm not mad. It was an accident and I know Jess wouldn't put you in any danger deliberately." Lorelai said.

"He wouldn't." Charlotte said relieved her mom wasn't mad. "He stayed with me until the ambulance came. They checked him out too but he refused to come to the hospital. Think he was afraid about the reception he would get."

Lorelai smirked slightly. "Well I'm glad at least some of my intimidating mother rep is still there."

"Lorelai? Charlotte?" A voice called from outside.

"Dad?" Charlotte called surprised.

"Part of my freak out." Lorelai admitted. "I may have called your dad."

"Mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"We're in here, dad!" Rory said opening the door.

"Oh thank god! Charlotte, are you ok?" Chris exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Charlotte smiled. "Just a fracture. Nothing serious. It was an accident."

"What happened?" He asked.

Just then the doctor came back in. "Ok Charlotte, you're good to go."

"Yes!" Charlotte exclaimed thrusting her good arm up in the air.

"You two go wait outside, I'll be out in a bit." Lorelai told them.

"Ok." Charlotte smiled.

Lorelai watched them leave before turning back to Chris. "I'm sorry I called. I was freaking out because I didn't know the details. I'm sorry you came all the way out here. You should go back to Sherry." She said.

"No it's fine." He said. "What happened?"

"She just got into a little car accident, that's all." Lorelai said.

"That's all?" Chris exclaimed. "What happened?"

Lorelai sighed. "She was tutoring Jess in the diner and they decided to go and get some ice cream." She explained. "A cat ran out onto the road and Jess swerved..."

"Wait, Jess swerved?" Chris interrupted.

"Yes." Lorelai said.

"So Jess was driving?"

"Yes again." She nodded.

"Why on earth was he driving?" Chris exclaimed.

"I don't know but he was." Lorelai said. "Calm down, everything's ok."

"No it's not ok! Our daughter's got a fractured wrist and that punk of a kid is the reason why!" Chris exclaimed angrily.

"Jess isn't a punk." Lorelai said.

"Really? Since when did you change your tune about him? I seem to remember you telling me that you didn't like him, that you didn't trust me one bit." Chris said.

"We came to an understanding." Lorelai told him. "He's grown on me. He's a good kid deep down and he loves Charlotte. He wouldn't do anything deliberately to hurt her." She said softly. "Look I know this has been a shock. It was for me too. But Charlotte's ok. Let's just get her back to ours." She said.

Chris let out a breath. "You're right. Sorry." He said quietly.

"It's ok." Lorelai smiled at him. "Come on, let's go. You can bunk on the couch for the night."

"Ok..uh..I'll meet you there." He said.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"I should really call Sherry. I kind of ran out of our apartment without telling her why or where I was going." He admitted guiltily.

Lorelai smirked. "Ok. Go ring Sherry. We'll meet you at ours." She said.

"Ok." Chris said, watching her leave the room.

* * *

Jess was sitting on the bridge when he suddenly heard a voice. He turned round and saw, who he recognised as Charlotte and Rory's dad, coming towards him.

"Hey you! I need to talk to you!" Chris shouted.

"How's Charlotte?" Jess asked.

"She's got a fractured wrist, no thanks to you!" Chris snapped angrily.

"It was an accident." Jess said.

"Like hell it was! You may have the others thinking that but not me. Lorelai seems to think you're alright now but I think she was right before. You're nothing more than a punk who thinks he can get his claws into my daughter!" Chris shouted. "Well, no more! You're leaving right now."

"Excuse me?" Jess frowned.

"I mean it! My daughter deserves way more than you and I won't have you hurting her anymore. You're leaving tonight." Chris said firmly.

"And if I don't?" Jess challenged.

"I will make your life a living hell." Chris said menacingly. "And then I will take Charlotte with me and I'll move halfway across the world and make sure you never see my daughter again."

Jess glared at him. "And what right do you have to call the shots? From what I've heard, you've been a pretty deadbeat dad to Charlotte." He snapped.

"I mean it, Jess." Chris said giving him a shove. "I'm not messing around here."

"Yeah? Well I mean it too!" Jess said giving him a shove back. "I love Charlotte. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you are." Chris said. "Or I'll tell her how you assaulted me just now."

Jess scoffed. "Yeah right!"

"You don't believe me? I can walk into a tree on the way back, give myself a pretty mean black eye. I'd have the evidence." He said.

"Charlotte wouldn't believe you." Jess said.

"Really? Because she was pretty happy to see me earlier. Do you really think people would take your side over mine? I've heard you're not really a hit around town." He said smugly.

"Yeah, well neither are you." Jess retorted.

"Quit joking around. You're leaving. Tonight!"

"No I'm not." Jess repeated. "You think you know Charlotte but you don't. She wouldn't believe that I assaulted you. So I'm staying put." He said. "Sorry." He added sarcastically.

Chris let out an angry breath. "You stay. I'm moving away with Charlotte. You'll never see her again. Ever. Now that, I can do." He said.

Jess glared at him. "You're an ass." He spat.

"Yeah, so what? I'm protecting my daughter from the likes of you. Now what will it be? Would you really force Charlotte to move away from this town that she loves, Lorelai and Rory just because you're being selfish? Everyone would miss her. No one would miss you." Chris said spitefully. "Now what will it be?" He glared at Jess.

* * *

A while later, Jess watched from across the road as Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory got out of the car laughing. They had obviously been to Taco Bell as they all had a bag each. He watched as Lorelai took Charlotte's bag from her who gave a shout of indignation. Lorelai gestured to Charlotte's cast, which Jess had noticed had been scrawled all over already presumably by Lorelai and Rory, who gave a roll of eyes in return. He smirked when Lorelai and Rory then proceeded to carry her up the porch steps, the three of them giggling as they disappeared into the house. He watched the house for a moment and caught still hear the laughter from where he was stood. The warning from Chris rang in his ears. _Would you really force Charlotte to move away from this town that she loves, Lorelai and Rory just because you're being selfish?_ Jess knew the answer. He couldn't do that to her. He took one last glance at the house before looking down beside him and picking up a bag he had packed and then he slowly walked back down the road towards the bus stop.

* * *

"So, how are you feeling?" Lorelai asked Charlotte as they sat down in the square the following evening.

"Haunted by the sight of Kirk's bare chest." Charlotte joked after they had sat through Kirk's disturbing movie.

"Well of course." Lorelai joked. She glanced at her. "But seriously?"

"I'm ok." She shrugged.

"Have you still not heard from Jess?" Rory asked.

"Not since last night." Charlotte said. "And I've not had time to go round today as dad was in his bonding phrase. I swear he wouldn't let me out of his sight all day."

"He's just being overprotective, hon." Lorelai smiled.

"I know." Charlotte sighed.

"It has been nice to see him though." Rory smiled.

"Yeah." Charlotte smiled agreeing.

"Hey, why don't you run over now?" Lorelai suggested. "Your dad's getting popcorn so you're safe." She joked.

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, maybe I will." She said. She was about to get up when they heard Babette and Miss Patty talking loudly across the aisle.

"No!" Miss Patty exclaimed

"I swear to God!" Babette said.

"When?" Miss Patty asked.

"Last night, not long after the accident happened." She said. "Rumour has it that Luke walked him straight to the bus station himself, stuck the kid on a bus and sent him home to his mom."

"I can't believe Luke would send him off like that." Miss Patty frowned.

"Well, I heard the kid wanted to go. I don't know. All I know is that Jess is gone." Babette said.

"Well, well, well. What will we do for entertainment around here?" Miss Patty sighed.

"Beats the hell out of me." Babette said.

Charlotte turned to Lorelai and Rory, her eyes widened. She then got up and rushed off towards the diner. She could hear her mom and sister calling after her and even her dad but she didn't stop. She had to know. She banged on the door of the diner even though the closed sign was up. "Luke!" She shouted.

Luke appeared and went over to the door and opened it. "Charlotte..." He said quietly.

"Is it true? Has he left?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I'm sorry..." Luke said quietly.

Charlotte shook her head, trying to hold back tears. "No. I don't believe it! I don't believe he would just leave!" She exclaimed rushing to the stairs and running up to the apartment.

Luke followed her up and watched as she opened all Jess' drawers. His heart broke for her when she turned towards him, tears freely rolling down her cheeks now, looking devastated.

"Is it...is it true that you sent him away?" Charlotte asked hurt.

"What?" Luke exclaimed surprised. "No! Why, why would I do that?"

"It's all around town. They're all saying you sent him home last night, after the accident." Charlotte sniffed.

"Charlotte, the first thing I knew about Jess leaving was when I came up here after looking for him all night and finding all his belongings gone. No note, no explanation." Luke said softly.

Charlotte went over and sat down on the couch in the apartment, putting her head in her hands, wiping away from tears. "Why would he leave without saying anything?" She sniffed. "Why would he just go without saying goodbye or telling me where he was going or...or if he was coming back?"

"I don't know." Luke sighed. He glanced at her. "I know you're upset...and angry. Damn it, I'm angry at him right now. But I have to know. The accident..." He said hesitantly. "People have been saying he was driving..."

Charlotte looked up at him and an expression of understanding came over her. "It wasn't his fault, Luke." She said softly.

Luke let out a breath. "I didn't think it was...I just..." He sighed. "Sorry."

"No it's ok." Charlotte said quietly, sniffing. "It's not your fault."

"Do you want me to tell you if I hear from him?" Luke asked cautiously.

"No." Charlotte said quickly. "I don't care."

"Charlotte..." Luke said softly.

"No." She said shaking her head. "I don't care why he's left or what his reasons or plans are. I need to go home."

"Charlotte..." Luke tried again.

Charlotte wiped some tears away and glanced at Luke. "I'm sorry I accused you..."

"It's ok." He said.

"I need to go home." She sniffed, pleading with him to just let her go without asking anymore.

Luke nodded. "Go." He said softly.

Charlotte nodded and then quickly left the apartment.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory returned to the house after the movie, after saying goodbye to Chris who returned home to Sherry. They found Charlotte curled up on the couch, crying. They exchanged concerned glances.

"Let me know how she is." Rory whispered, disappearing to her room, knowing Charlotte needed their mom right now.

Lorelai nodded and went over to the couch. "Hey..." She said softly, sitting down next to her.

Charlotte immediately changed positions and laid her head in her mom's lap. "Why would he leave mom?" She sobbed. "Why would he just go? Doesn't he love me anymore? Doesn't he want to be with me anymore? Why did he leave without telling me? I don't understand, I just..." Her voice hitched. "I love him so much, mom. Why did he leave?"

"Shhh, it's ok." Lorelai soothed, stroking her daughter's hair comfortingly. "It's going to be ok." She said softly.

"How?" Charlotte cried. "How is it ever going to be ok again?"

 **So there it is! Thank you for being patient! I hope this was worth the wait. :) Let me know what you think by keeping those reviews coming. I really do love reading them so thank you! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow thank you so much for all your reviews for the last chapter! Your support really does mean so much to me. :) Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 13

Two weeks had passed since Jess has left town. The first week, Charlotte barely left the house apart from going to school. She was devastated. She couldn't even look at the diner because it reminded her too much of Jess. However, soon her sadness turned to anger. How could he just leave without even saying goodbye? How could he just bail on her? Did she really mean that little to her?

This one morning, Charlotte and Rory were following Lorelai down the sidewalk who was taking them somewhere for breakfast. Since Jess had left, Lorelai and Rory had been careful not to go to the diner when Charlotte was with them.

"Where is this place?" Rory asked.

"It's not too far." Lorelai said.

"You've been saying that for miles." Rory pointed out.

"It has not been miles." Lorelai said.

"My feet are sore!" Rory whined. "Aren't your feet sore?" She turned to her sister but Charlotte had stopped and was looking over at the diner. "Charlie..." Rory said softly.

"Sorry what?" Charlotte said taking her gaze away from the diner.

"Are you ok?" Rory asked softly.

"I'm fine. Why?" Charlotte said.

"You were just staring at the diner. I know these past two weeks have been really hard..." Rory said.

"I'm fine. I'm over him." Charlotte said quickly.

"That's not true." Rory said. "You love him. I've never seen you this happy since you met Jess."

"Loved him." Charlotte said. "Loved. He left. He obviously doesn't care about me at all so why should I give him a second thought?"

"Why don't you try contacting him?" Rory asked cautiously.

"How?" Charlotte said. "He doesn't have a cell. He was against them. And I have no idea where he is."

"You could ask Luke? Maybe he's heard from him? Jess might have an explanation."

"Yeah if he had an explanation, he would have talked to me before leaving." Charlotte said bitterly. She sighed. "Rory, look, I know you're trying to help but just stop. Please. I can't...I just can't cope with this right now."

Rory sighed. "Ok. Sorry." She said. "Mom, where is this place?" She then groaned.

"Come on, it's not much further." Lorelai said.

"We're not heading toward any businesses of any kind." Rory said but then nearly walked straight into their mom as she stopped. "Mom!"

"We have arrived." Lorelai grinned.

"Arrived where?" Rory said.

"You have no shame." Charlotte smirked.

"Come on, let's go have breakfast!" Lorelai grinned and Charlotte and Rory followed their mom into Sookie and Jackson's house.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai was studying at the kitchen table as Rory and Charlotte walked out of their bedroom.

"How's it going?" Charlotte asked.

"I hate these books, hate them!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"So good then?" Charlotte smirked.

"Your books don't hate you." Rory said.

"Urgh, my brain is full! It has reached capacity! I can't do this anymore." Lorelai exclaimed.

"Now you're just being dramatic." Charlotte said.

"I simply can't ingest anymore information." Lorelai groaned.

"So take a break." Rory suggested.

"I don't have time." Lorelai sighed.

"Then I'll make some coffee." Charlotte said.

"I hate finals." She grumbled.

"Nobody likes finals." Rory said.

"Thank god I'm graduating and this is the last time I have to cram like this because my pursuit of higher education has led me to a very interesting discovery about myself. Do you want to know what it is?" Lorelai said.

"Sure." Rory said.

"I despise academics. Learning, knowledge, it's all worthless. I have no idea in what you two see in any of it." She said.

"Learning is fun, plus for us there's that whole 'We're minors so it's mandatory' thing." Rory said.

"That's what kills me! I brought this on myself!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"That diploma hanging on the wall is going to make this all worthwhile." Charlotte said.

"I guess..." She sighed.

"Hey, you're graduating!" Charlotte suddenly said.

"I know." Lorelai said.

"No. You're graduating! There's going to be a ceremony!" Charlotte said excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know. It's community college." Lorelai said.

"Community colleges have ceremonies." Rory commented.

"My community college doesn't even have a lawn, they won't necessarily have a ceremony."

"They must. Did you ask?" Charlotte asked.

"No. Well, now that you mention it, I think someone said something about some cheesy ceremony for my business class." Lorelai admitted.

"When is it?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't know...next Thursday or something."

"That's great! You have to do it!" Charlotte said excitedly.

"I don't know..."

"Please mom! I want to see you graduate. You worked so hard for this! Please do it!" Charlotte begged.

Lorelai looked at her daughter's excited face. She hadn't seen Charlotte this much like her old self since everything happened with Jess. "Well, ok. I'll do it." She said.

"Yes!" Charlotte grinned.

"Cool! Who do you want to invite?" Rory said.

"I don't know, you two." Lorelai said.

"And?" Rory asked.

"That's cool with me." Lorelai shrugged.

"Sookie and Jackson?" Charlotte suggested.

"Aw yeah ok, that'll be fun." Lorelai smiled actually getting excited by it now.

"Ok. And Grandma and Grandpa?" Rory asked.

"Oh, no! No no no!" Lorelai said quickly.

"Come on, it's your graduation. They should be there." Rory said.

"Forget it." Lorelai shook her head.

"But..." Rory protested.

"They won't want to be there."

"Of course they will!" Rory said.

"Rory, I was supposed to graduate from high school. Go to Vassar. Marry a Yale man. This is nothing compared to this. They won't want to be there.

"Yeah but..." Rory said.

"Instead, I got pregnant, I didn't finish high school, I didn't marry your father and I ended up in a career that they think is beneath me. I humiliated them. The two proudest people in the world and I humiliated them. I spoiled their plans. I took their fine upbringing in a world of comfort and opportunity and I threw it in their faces. I broke their hearts and they'll never forgive me. I guess I can't expect them to." Lorelai said quietly.

"But maybe you're wrong about how they feel about all this? It was a long time ago." Rory insisted.

"Please Rory, I don't want them to go. It'll just hurt them...and me, ok?" Lorelai said.

Rory sighed. "Ok. You should get back to your studying." She said.

"Here's your coffee." Charlotte said.

"Thanks." Lorelai said.

Charlotte followed Rory into the living room. "You're so going to invite Grandma and Grandpa anyway, aren't you?" She said.

"They will want to be there. Mom's wrong. It would mean a lot to them and to mom." Rory said.

"I knew it." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm going to go ask them tomorrow morning before school. Want to come with?" Rory asked.

"Fine. For mom, why not?" Charlotte agreed.

"Great!" Rory smiled.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte and Rory were stood outside their grandparents' house. They rang the doorbell and waited. Emily soon answered the door.

"Hi Grandma." Rory smiled.

"Rory, Charlotte!" Emily smiled.

"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice." Rory said.

"I'm thrilled to see you both on no notice. So, tell me, what's this about? You were so mysterious on the phone." Emily said as they went through to the dining room where the table was lavishly set.

"We just wanted to talk to you about something in person." Rory said as her and Charlotte sat down at the table with their grandparents.

"Firstly, how is your arm Charlotte?" Emily asked.

"Oh, it's fine thanks." Charlotte smiled politely.

"I can't believe that hoodlum did that to you. Thank god he's gone!" Emily said.

"Anyway..." Rory said seeing Charlotte's expression. "Grandma, Grandpa, we would like to propose an idea to you." She said, receiving a grateful smile from Charlotte.

"Yeah. Now, you can go for it or not, it's entirely up to you, but we would like for you to promise us that you will not get upset." Charlotte said.

"We won't get upset." Emily said.

"And that you will try to keep an open mind." Rory added.

"Alright." Emily said.

"And that you will let us finish our presentation completely before you respond." Rory continued.

Emily turned to Richard and smirked slightly. "They've been hanging around you far too much." She said.

"Rory, Charlotte, we accept your terms. Please proceed." Richard said.

"Thank you. First, let me start by saying that Mom doesn't know that we're here." Rory said. "She'd probably be pretty mad if she knew that we were, but we feel that this is important. As you know, Mom's been going to business school at the community college out here for three years now."

"I believe she's mentioned it, yes." Emily said.

"Well, she's doing very well and she's finishing up." Charlotte said. "Really well. Actually, she's graduating Thursday, and there's going to be a ceremony and I think it would mean a lot to her if you guys were there. It may not seem like it would, but it's true."

"Well, if it would mean so much to her then why didn't she invite us herself?" Emily said stiffly.

"Because she didn't think you'd want to go." Charlotte said. "And we get that, but we think it's a mistake. She's graduating and she's worked extremely hard to get to where she is now. Now, if the thought of going to Mom's graduation upsets you or makes you unhappy or uncomfortable in any way, then please, don't go because this is an important night for Mom and if you go, you should go under the right circumstances."

Rory pulled an envelope out of her backpack. "These are the tickets. It's Thursday, 7pm. It's indoors so weather's not an issue. You can use them or not, no hard feelings, do what you feel is best. And if you don't mind, we would really appreciate it if you would keep this conversation between the four of us."

"Beatrice, the tea, please." Emily said.

Charlotte and Rory smiled at each other and proceed to tuck into some of the food on the table.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai was celebrating having finished her last final by watching some tv with Rory and Charlotte and eating lots of junk food. The phone rang as they were sat on the couch.

"I'll get it." Rory said.

"Hey, now if that's Mick Jagger, hang up and blow that whistle I gave you." Lorelai said.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hi." A familiar voice came through the phone.

Rory froze and glanced over to the couch where Charlotte was sitting joking with her mom. "Uh..hi.." She said shocked.

"Is this a bad time?"

"Uh...no...just hold on a sec." Rory said. "Uh it's Lane. She needs some friend support." She told her mom and Charlotte. "I'll be right back." She said going to their room and closing the door. "Jess..." She said into the phone.

"Hey..." He said.

"What...why...where are you?" Rory asked.

"New York." He said.

"You went back to New York?" She asked surprised.

"Had nowhere else to go." Jess said.

"You could have stayed here!" Rory exclaimed.

"I couldn't." He said.

"What do you mean you couldn't?" Rory exclaimed. "What are you even doing in New York anywhere?"

"Nothing much. Hanging out in the park." He said.

"Central Park?" Rory asked.

"Washington Square Park." Jess said.

"Oh." Rory said. She realised she was getting distracted. "Why did you leave Jess? Are you coming back?"

"I should go. This is long distance." Jess said avoiding the question.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed.

"Bye Rory." Jess said hanging up.

"Urgh!" Rory groaned throwing the phone onto her bed. She didn't get it. Why did he leave? Why did he call the house and why didn't he mention Charlotte at all?

"Are you ok?" Charlotte asked coming in.

"What? Oh yeah, sorry. I promised Lane I would do that for her. She's annoyed with her mom." Rory said.

"When is she not?" Charlotte joked.

Rory laughed nervously. "Yeah true..."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm fine." Rory said. "Come on, let's go finish the programme." She said going back out to the living room.

"Ok..." Charlotte said confused, following her.

* * *

Charlotte, Rory and Paris were walking towards the Chilton building. Paris was going on about something that had happened with her advisor. Charlotte had zoned out but she was brought back to reality when she heard Paris speak again.

"My locker's this way." Paris said.

Charlotte turned to see that Rory had stopped walking and was obviously deliberating something. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. I just, I just remembered something. I need to call mom quickly. I'll meet you both inside." Rory said.

"Ok." Charlotte shrugged.

Rory watched her sister follow Paris into the building before turning round and walking back out of the gates.

* * *

Lorelai was at the inn when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey Lor, how you doing?" Chris replied.

"Chris! I'm good, I'm excited." Lorelai smiled.

"You should be, it's a big day. Did you get my present?" He smiled.

"What present?" Lorelai asked.

"A basket. You should have gotten it by now." He said.

"Hey, did a basket come for me?" Lorelai asked Michel.

"Mmm, it came, it was heavy, I felt a twinge so I dropped it for health reasons. It's probably still intact." Michel answered dryly.

"My crack staff has just informed me of its arrival. I'm going to find it." She said walking into the lobby to find a basket on the table. "Wow!" She exclaimed.

"I put it together myself." Chris said proudly.

"And it's all for me?" Lorelai grinned.

"All for you." He said.

"Chris...wow." She said starting to look through it. "Ha! A twenty-five dollar savings bond." She said.

"That's a long-term investment. Don't touch it for thirty years, you're looking at forty-five dollars." He joked.

"Ooh, a youth hostel card!"

"For the young girl who doesn't mind sharing a bathroom with fifty strangers."

"Thanks!" Lorelai laughed. "And something in a nice little velvet box." She said opening it. "Ooh, a necklace, and the pearl almost looks real."

"Well it better look very real, because it is." Chris said.

"That's not funny." She said.

"This is not a funny gift." He said.

"Christopher, this is extremely not funny. This is totally humorless. It's...it's beautiful." She said softly.

"I think you're awesome, Lor." He said softly. "With everything you do and raising Rory and Charlotte the way you did. You're superwoman."

"Wow." Lorelai said softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Chris smiled. "Talking of our kids, how's Charlotte? Still no word from Jess?" He asked.

"Nope, no word from Jess." Lorelai sighed. "Oh Chris, you should have seen her the first week. She was devastated. It was like her life was over. She wouldn't leave the house." She said.

"Really?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. It was...horrible to watch. I just don't know why Jess did that to her. No one blamed him for that accident, I was really starting to warm to him and now I hate him again for bailing on Charlotte. She didn't deserve this." Lorelai said.

"No she didn't." Chris said. "Well, maybe she's better off without him right?"

"Maybe." Lorelai sighed.

"Give her a hug from me. And Rory too of course." Chris said. "Have a great day. I wish I could be there. Take lots of pictures for me."

"Urgh, the camera! I forgot the camera!" Lorelai groaned.

"Look in the basket."

Lorelai looked in the basket and pulled out a disposable camera. "Oh, you thought of everything." She grinned.

"Have a great night." Chris smiled.

"Thanks, you too." Lorelai smiled. "Bye Chris." She said softly.

"Bye Lor." He smiled before hanging up.

* * *

Rory walked through Washington Square Park and spotted Jess sat on a bench reading. She took a deep breath before walking up to him. "Hi.." She said. Jess looked up and was surprised to see Rory. He suddenly panicked and started looking around. "She's not here." Rory said quickly.

Jess relaxed a bit. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here for answers. You can't avoid my questions when I'm right here next to you." She said.

"Rory..." Jess sighed.

"I'm serious! Why did you leave Jess?" She exclaimed.

"Are you hungry?" Jess asked.

"What?" Rory said confused.

"I know a place. Are you hungry?" He repeated.

"Starved." She admitted.

"Good, let's go then." He said getting up.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed.

"Look, you want answers? I need food first." Jess said.

"Fine." Rory relented and started following him.

A while later, they were walking down the street towards wherever Jess was taking them.

"I feel very urban today." Rory joked.

"Oh yeah, the plaid just screams urban." Jess joked, glad that Rory was trying to ease some of the tension. He had to admit, he was surprised Rory didn't hate him.

"I think I look like a native." Rory said.

"How well do you know Manhattan?" Jess raised his eyebrows.

"I've been here a few times. We saw The Bangles here." Rory grinned.

"When was that, twenty years ago?" He smirked.

"It was a reunion and they were great." Rory grinned.

"Yeah, they're ok." Jess said.

"And a couple years ago Mom drove us to shop here, and she couldn't find a good parking place and all of the parking lots were a total rip-off, so she kept making U-turns and cutting off taxis and we were being screamed at in so many different languages that we just turned around and drove home." Rory said.

"How very adventurous." He smirked.

"I'm just saying I'm no stranger to the Big Apple." Rory joked.

"You are if you're calling it the Big Apple."

"So I don't have the lingo down yet, but at least I have the attitude."

"You do, huh?"

"Oh yeah!" She nodded. "When I was getting a locker for my backpack at the bus stop, there was this guy and he was just standing there staring at me and instead of ignoring him I just fixed him with a really withering stare."

"That I've got to see." Jess chuckled.

"No." Rory said.

"Oh come on, let me see your withering stare." He smirked.

"It's dangerous. I could hurt you." Rory said.

"I've been hurt before." Jess said but stopped when he realised what he had said. "So here's our lunch place." He said quickly.

"A hot dog stand?" Rory asked.

"Hey, I eat here everyday. It's nothing fancy, but..." He said.

"No, I love it. It's perfect." Rory smiled.

"Good." He said. He turned to the hot dog vendor. "One with everything on it, please." He said.

"Make that two, please." Rory said.

They then went and sat down on a bench back in the park. "So...uh...how's...?" He started asking but then stopped.

"Charlotte?" Rory asked.

"Luke..." Jess bottled out.

"Oh." Rory said. "He's ok. I think." She said starting to frown.

"You think?" Jess asked.

"We haven't really seen him much recently." Rory admitted.

"How come?" Jess asked.

"Oh..uh..well the place kind of reminds Charlotte of...well you..." Rory said quietly. "She hasn't been in since you've left."

"Oh." Jess said quietly.

"Mom and I only go in when Charlotte's not with us." Rory said.

Jess just nodded and continued eating. He sighed and glanced at Rory. "How is she?" He finally asked.

"Not brilliant." Rory said honestly. "She cried herself to sleep every night the first week but now she's just full of anger."

"Oh." Jess said quietly.

Rory glanced at him. "She just doesn't understand Jess. She doesn't understand why you would just leave without an explanation. She's starting to think you didn't really love her." She shrugged.

"I loved her. Love her." Jess said quickly.

Rory looked at him. "Then why leave?"

"Because she deserves better than me." Jess said gruffly. "I'm just a no good punk who's got no direction in his life at all. Charlotte wants to go to art college. She's got goals. I don't want to hold her back."

"You wouldn't hold her back though. You wouldn't stop her going, would you?" Rory asked confused.

"Of course not!" He said.

"Well then...what's the problem?" Rory asked.

"She's just...she's better off without me living in that town messing everything up." Jess said.

"Jess, she loves you. She really loves you. You need to come back. You need to talk to her." Rory insisted.

"I can't." Jess said.

"Why not? What's holding you back?" Rory exclaimed getting frustrated.

"Trust me, she's just better off without me." Jess said.

"Urgh, why are you so frustrating?" Rory exclaimed. "You claim you love her but you don't want to come back and talk to her, explain to her! Maybe everyone's right. Maybe she doesn't deserve you!" She snapped. "Maybe we were wrong about you. Maybe you are just a punk who leads girls on and then breaks their hearts." She snapped, getting up. "This was a waste of time. I'm sorry I bothered you." She said going to walk off.

"Your dad told me to go." Jess said.

Rory stopped and turned round. "What?" She said.

Jess sighed. He didn't want to tell her but he had to now. Rory had been a good friend to her and he didn't want her thinking he had just been playing with Charlotte's emotions. "Your dad came to find me after the accident." He admitted.

"And?" Rory said.

"He told me if I didn't leave, he would take Charlotte halfway across the world so that I would never see her again." He said.

"He wouldn't do that." Rory said.

"He was serious." Jess said. "He said he would take Charlotte away from Stars Hollow for good, away from you and your mom, away from her friends. I couldn't do that to her."

"He really said that?" Rory asked shocked.

"Yeah." Jess sighed. "I thought he was bluffing too but you should have seen him. He was angry, really angry. He was serious. I couldn't take the risk. I couldn't do that to Charlotte. I couldn't be responsible for her getting separated from her family."

"Ok, you need to come back and tell Charlotte this. She needs to know." Rory said.

"No." Jess shook his head.

"Jess! She just thinks you don't care! She thinks you bailed on her! She needs to know the truth!" Rory exclaimed. "Dad shouldn't have interfered. He shouldn't have blackmailed you like that. It wasn't fair. You need to come back."

"I can't." Jess said. "And Charlotte can't find out about this. It would destroy her relationship with your dad. I don't want that."

"Why not? He deserves it!" Rory exclaimed angrily.

"I know." Jess sighed. "But I can't do that to her. It would devastate her."

Rory sighed and sat back down. "I can't believe dad ran you out of town."

"You can't tell Charlotte." Jess said.

"But..." Rory protested.

"Rory, promise me. Promise me, you won't tell her." Jess said seriously.

Rory sighed. "Fine. I won't tell her." She said. "But you should."

They were silent for a moment.

"So how much time have you got?" Jess asked.

"I've got a bit." Rory said.

"I know this amazing record store not far from here. Interested?" He asked.

"Sure." She nodded.

"Good. Eat up and then let's go." He said.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Jess walked Rory to her bus. She turned to him. "Please just think about coming back and talking to Charlotte." She said.

"Rory..."

"Just think about it. Please. Promise me." Rory said.

Jess sighed. "Ok I'll think about it." He said.

"Thank you." Rory smiled. She hesitated before giving him a hug. "Charlotte still loves you. I know she does. Take care of yourself ok?"

"You too." Jess said.

"Bye Jess." She said softly.

"Bye." He said giving her a small smile. He watched her board the bus and then he walked off.

* * *

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore..." The speaker announced as the graduation ceremony proceeded.

Lorelai slowly walked onto the stage and accepted her diploma. She looked out into the audience and saw her parents sat there proudly. She could have sworn she saw a tear in her mother's eye. She smiled as Charlotte stood up cheering. She moved the tassel on her hat to the other side and then exited the stage.

After the ceremony, Lorelai walked up to her parents.

"Hey Mom, Dad." She smiled.

"Lorelai." Emily said.

"Well, I did it." Lorelai said.

"Yes." Richard nodded.

"Raul thinks he got some good footage." Emily said.

"I should hope so. He certainly cost enough." Richard said.

"I'm sure it'll be great." Lorelai smiled.

"Congratulations, Lorelai." Emily said softly.

"Thank you. I'm glad you guys came." Lorelai said softly.

"Yes, well, we should get going. I guess we'll see you tomorrow for dinner." She said.

"Hey, wait! Aren't we going to take a picture?" Lorelai asked.

"Excuse me?" Emily said.

"The three of us, me in the middle with the gown, you know...the traditional pose." Lorelai smiled.

"Well...uh...we don't have a camera with us." Richard said.

"I do!" Lorelai said. "Raul would you mind?" She asked giving him her camera.

Raul then proceeded to take the photo.

"Thank you." Lorelai smiled.

"Yes, well, tomorrow then." Emily said.

"Absolutely." Lorelai said. "Bye."

"Bye Lorelai." Emily said walking off.

Richard stayed behind and handed Lorelai an envelope. "Congratulations." He said.

"Oh, you don't have to do this." Lorelai said touched.

"Put it towards something fun." He smiled.

"Thank you, Daddy." She said softly.

Richard nodded and then went in the direction that Emily did just as Sookie, Jackson and Charlotte came up to her.

"Hey! You did it, mom! I'm so proud of you!" Charlotte beamed giving her a hug.

"Thanks hon." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah so were we! You were great up there!" Sookie smiled.

Lorelai looked around. "Where's Rory?" She asked.

"She called me and she said she got hung up on something or other and she'll see us at home." Charlotte said.

"Hung up? Hung up where? Is she okay?" Lorelai said worried.

"She said she's fine. She's sorry, but fine." Charlotte shrugged.

"Oh. Well, as long as she's okay, I guess." She said slightly disappointed. "Uh..well we should head home then." Lorelai said. "Thanks for coming, you two." She smiled at Sookie and Jackson.

"We wouldn't have been anywhere else. Congratulations again." Sookie smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Thanks Sook." Lorelai smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Are you ok, mom?" Charlotte asked after Sookie and Jackson left.

"Let's just get home to Rory." She said.

Charlotte nodded and followed her.

* * *

Rory was waiting on the porch steps as Lorelai and Charlotte got back.

"I'm so, so sorry, mom!" Rory exclaimed as they walked up to her.

"You're okay, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes." Rory said.

"Everything's working? You've not broken anything?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm fine." Rory sighed.

"Anyone you know, like Lane or someone, suddenly get sick today or break an arm themselves?" She asked.

"No."

"Okay, good. Then I can get past worry and move onto other things." Lorelai said.

"I know you're hurt." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah, you bet I'm hurt. Rory, I really wanted you there today, more than anything. You and Charlotte were the reason why I did this stupid thing in the first place."

"I know." Rory said sadly.

"It was a once in a lifetime thing. You should've been there. Both of my daughters should have been there. Whatever it was that kept you, you should have gotten out of it, at least this once. Was it school?" Lorelai asked.

"It wasn't school." Rory said.

"Was it Paris?"

"It wasn't Paris."

"Well, what was it?" Lorelai asked.

"It was..." Rory said glancing at Charlotte. "It was stupid..."

"Well, Rory, where were you? What happened?" She asked.

"I cut school!" Rory admitted.

"Wait, what?" Charlotte said. "How did I not realise that?"

"You what?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"I cut school and I got on a bus and I don't even know why I did it. I...I have no excuse. I was just standing outside of Chilton and I don't know, I must have had a stroke or something. What does a stroke feel like?" Rory rambled.

"Rory..." Lorelai said.

"I left school and I got on a bus and I went to New York." Rory admitted. "And that's it! I'm grounded for six months, or seven, and no TV, no stereo, no reading. In fact, take all of my books away from me and lock them up!"

"Hold on here. You went to New York? Why?"

"And no magazines, either. And I'm going to do all of the housework. Laundry, dishes...in fact, we're going to start eating at home so that we have dishes." Rory continued.

"Rory.."

"What?"

"Stop. Why did you go to New York?" Lorelai asked.

Rory glanced at Charlotte. "To see Jess." She admitted.

"What?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Hear me out, please!" Rory begged.

"Why would you go and see Jess? How did you even know where he is?" Charlotte exclaimed angrily.

"He rang me." Rory admitted.

"I can't believe you." Charlotte said.

"Charlie please! I went to get answers for you. And I did! There's an explanation. You need to talk to him!" Rory insisted.

"No I don't. And you had no right to go and talk to him!" Charlotte said angrily, tears burning her eyes. "I can't believe you!"

"Charlie please..." Rory said upset.

"No! I can't even look at you right now!" Charlotte exclaimed storming into the house.

"I'm a horrible person." Rory said upset, sitting down on the porch steps.

"No you're not." Lorelai sighed sitting down next to her.

"I needed to know why, mom. It didn't make sense. I know Charlotte still loves him and I wanted to fix things." Rory said. "But now Charlotte hates me."

"No she doesn't. She's just still hurting." Lorelai said. She glanced at Rory. "So Jess had an explanation?" She asked.

"Yeah." Rory said.

"Which was?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"It's not my place to say. Jess made me promise not to say. But Charlotte needs to talk to him." Rory said.

"We can't force her, hon." Lorelai said.

"I know." Rory sighed. "But they belong together, mom. Jess loves her. I know that for sure."

"Well then...maybe they will sort it out." Lorelai sighed.

"I hope so." Rory said.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked pointing to the bag she was holding.

"Oh, your present." Rory said handing it over.

"You got me a present?" Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah.."

Lorelai opened it. "Rory..." She said softly.

"It's a vinyl copy of The Go-Gos original album and it's signed by Belinda. Do you like it?" Rory asked.

"Like it? I love it. Thank you." Lorelai smiled. "Come on, let's go inside and eat."

"How long do you think Charlotte will be mad at me for?" Rory asked.

"She'll come round. Come on." Lorelai smiled softly. "I deserve to be able to eat with both my daughters."

"I really am sorry." Rory said quietly.

"I know hon." Lorelai reassured her. "Come on." She said leading her inside the house.

 **So I hoped you liked it! Please keep your reviews coming! I love reading them! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much for your support so far! Here's the chapter I think you've probably all been waiting for! :)**

Chapter 14

Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, Michel, and Sookie were sitting at a table in the dining room of the inn listening to Ella Fitzgerald on a CD.

"What do you think?" Sookie asked.

"Sookie, you've got to be kidding." Lorelai said.

"What?" Sookie asked.

"You can't walk down the aisle to that. It's depressing!" Lorelai said.

"It's Ella." Sookie argued.

"It's morbid."

"It's a classic song." Sookie protested.

"A classic song with lyrics about a woman who can't make her relationship work, whose life is filled with emptiness and regret and pain." Lorelai pointed out.

"What are these?" Rory asked pointing to the other CDs on the table.

"Oh, those are some alternative songs, but I really like this one the best." Sookie said.

"Alternative songs, good. Let's see." Lorelai said going through them but grimacing.

"Ok, I have a wonderful suggestion." Michel said.

"Great, let's hear it." Lorelai said.

"Ok, here we go. How about I leave?" He said.

"And then do what?"

"That's it. I leave and I don't have to listen to this insanity anymore. What do you think, huh? Because I love it." Michel said dryly.

"Michel, I am in the wedding, which means you have to run the wedding all by yourself, something you've never done before." Lorelai said.

"Oh, please." He scoffed.

"I'll tell you what, Sookie. How about Charlotte, Lane and I come up with a few more suggestions for you? Still melodic, but not quite as Girl, Interrupted." Rory suggested. "Right Charlotte?"

"Sure. For Sookie, yeah." Charlotte shrugged.

Rory sighed. Charlotte had started talking to her again but she still wasn't exactly happy with her.

"Alright, fine. Thank you." Sookie said.

"Great. Michel, how's the RSVP list coming?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I must say this has been especially challenging for me. I mean, when you are talking about a wedding with up to forty people all living within a five mile radius, how can one person be expected to keep track of all of that?" He said sarcastically.

"Aw, are you feeling underappreciated, Michel?" Charlotte smirked.

"Just an answer will do." Lorelai sighed.

"I mean, it got a little hairy there for a moment. I almost had to use a second sheet of paper, you know." He said.

"You know, I'm not going to let you annoy me out of making you handle this." Lorelai said.

"Oh, we'll see." Michel said.

"Hey, my cousin Carl cancelled so I have two empty seats. Anyone else you want to invite?" Sookie asked.

"I've got Lane, I've got Tristan, I'm good." Rory smiled.

"Charlotte?" Sookie asked.

"Can't think of anyone." Charlotte said.

"What about...?" Rory started.

"You better not finish that sentence." Charlotte warned.

Rory sighed. "I still say you should talk to him."

"And I've said that I don't want to. Now leave it." Charlotte said.

"What about Emily and Richard?" Sookie asked trying to change the subject.

"Emily and Richard who?" Lorelai asked.

"Your Emily and Richard." She said.

"Oh, Sookie, you are way too sweet." Lorelai said.

"What? She went to all that trouble to help me plan the first phase of the wedding." Sookie said.

"The crazy phase of the wedding." Lorelai pointed out.

"It was still sweet and I appreciated it. I mean, if it wasn't for your mother, I never would have settled on the colour pink." Sookie said.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I wanted yellow and she said no."

"Oh, well with logic like that." Lorelai smirked.

"Come on, just ask her. I want you to." Sookie said.

"Ok, I'll ask her." Lorelai sighed.

"Good."

* * *

Rory and Tristan were sat in Luke's eating breakfast the following morning.

"How are your pancakes?" Rory smiled.

"Good." Tristan smiled.

"Good or really good?" Rory asked.

"Good." He said.

"So, not really good?" She asked.

"Fine, really good." Tristan chuckled.

"Ok. But are they great?" She asked.

"Rory, would you perhaps like to trade breakfasts?" Tristan smirked.

"You mean, your pancakes for my eggs?" She asked.

"Yep."

"Oh..uh...ok." She said switching plates. "Wow, you're crazy, these pancakes are great!" She grinned.

Just then Charlotte walked by the window outside.

"That's twelve." Tristan said.

"Mm, two more and she'll come in." Rory said glancing outside at her sister.

"Has she really not been in since Jess left?" He asked.

Rory sighed. "No. She's found it too hard."

"Do you think Jess will come back?" Tristan asked her.

"I hope so. He loves Charlotte and I know she still loves him and misses him." She said.

Just then the diner door opened and Charlotte came in. She took a deep breath before going to sit down next to Rory and Tristan.

"You did it." Rory smiled.

"Yeah..." Charlotte said giving her sister a small smile. "It's weird..." She admitted looking round.

"Do you want me to go order your breakfast?" Rory offered.

Charlotte glanced over at the counter where Luke was. "No. I need to do this." She said.

"Ok." Rory said.

Charlotte took a deep breath before walking up to the counter. "Hi..." She said quietly.

"Charlotte..." Luke said surprised. "Hey..."

"I'm sorry I've not been in much..." She said.

"No it's ok, I understand." He smiled at her. "You want your usual?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Charlotte smiled. She watched him put the order through to the kitchen. She glanced down at the floor and then back up at him. "Have you heard from him?" She asked quietly.

"Only one phone call. To let me know he was ok." Luke admitted.

"Oh." Charlotte said. "That was nice." She said forcing a smile on his face.

"Charlotte..." He said softly.

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "I'll just go sit with Rory and wait for my food."

"Ok." He sighed watching her walk off.

* * *

Charlotte was sat on the exam table at the hospital that afternoon as Lorelai and Rory stood next to her.

"So, how do you feel?" Lorelai asked.

"Great." Charlotte smiled.

"Not at all sad?" Lorelai asked.

"About getting my arm back? No." Charlotte laughed.

"Really? Because I've kind of gotten used to Casty over here. I mean, we decorated him, we talked to him, we protected him from getting wet in the shower." Lorelai said.

"Ok, it's time to wean you off of getting attached to inanimate objects." Rory smirked..

"Casty, no one understands you like I do. What? No, I did not know Mr. Band-Aid said that to you. Urgh, I will talk to him when we get home." Lorelai said.

"Oh dear god..." Charlotte said. Just then the doctor walked into the room. "Dr Sue, thank god!"

"So Charlotte, let's get this thing off your arm, huh? What do you say?" Dr Sue smiled.

"Not a word." Charlotte smiled.

Just then, they heard Christopher's voice coming from outside. "This one here? Wait, which one? Hey, you in the white, come on, point a finger." He said.

"Dad?" Charlotte laughed.

"Christopher?" Lorelai said opening the door.

"Aha, there you are. Is it still on?" Chris smiled.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai laughed.

"Oh, great, I didn't miss it. Hey, doctor, I'm the dad." He said.

"Hey, nice to meet you, Dad." Dr Sue smiled.

"I can't believe you're here." Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah I really can't." Rory muttered.

"Why? I told you last week I wanted to come down for the big unveiling." Chris said.

"I know, but I didn't think you would drive all the way from Boston again. You were just here." Charlotte said.

"You getting sick of me?" He joked.

"No! Thanks for coming!" Charlotte grinned.

"Unbelievable." Rory muttered.

"What did you say kiddo?" Chris smiled at Rory.

"Nothing." She mumbled. She ignored the weird glances she got from the three of them.

"Ok, is everyone here now?" Dr Sue asked.

"I think so." Charlotte said.

"Ok, then let's do it." She smiled.

"Great, and doctor, if at all possible, we'd like to keep the arm." Chris joked.

"Oh I'll try my best." Dr Sue smiled.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, and Christopher were walking down the street afterwards.

"So where to next?" Chris asked.

"Home." Rory said stiffly. "I have to review my campaign platform." She added when she saw her mom and Charlotte giving her a weird look.

"Campaign platform?" Chris asked.

"Yes, our little Hilary Clinton here is running for student body vice president." Lorelai smiled.

"Wow." Chris said.

"It's very wow." Rory muttered.

"Ok have I done something to upset you or something?" Chris asked confused.

"I don't know. Have you?" Rory challenged.

"Ok..." Lorelai said. "Anyway, the elections are on Friday." She told Chris.

"Ok, how about this? I'll come back here on Thursday night and I'll take you guys to dinner, and then we'll break into Chilton and tamper with some votes." Chris suggested.

"We can't." Rory said coldly.

"Thursday's Sookie's rehearsal dinner." Charlotte told their dad.

"Oh well, I guess you'll just have to put your trust in a democratic system. Good luck with that." He smirked.

"Whatever." Rory muttered.

"But if you're going to be in the area Thursday night, you can come with us to the dinner." Lorelai said.

"But it's Sookie's rehearsal dinner." Chris said.

"Oh, she wouldn't mind! Please dad! She's cooking for a thousand. It'll be fun." Charlotte smiled.

"Well if you're sure?" Chris said glancing at Rory.

"Of course we're sure!" Lorelai smiled.

"What time?" He asked.

"Seven thirty." Charlotte said.

"I'm there." He smiled.

"What a surprise." Rory muttered.

"Ok..." Lorelai said not knowing what had gotten into Rory. "Charlie, why don't we go buy some junk food for our movie marathon tonight?" She said. "See you on Thursday, Chris." She smiled.

"Bye dad!" Charlotte smiled giving him a hug.

Chris watched them leave and then turned back to Rory who had crossed her arms across her chest. "Ok what's going on?" He asked.

"You really don't know?" Rory said.

"I'm not a mind reader." Chris said.

"I went to see Jess the other day." She said.

"Jess?" He said surprised. "I thought..."

"I went to New York to see him." Rory said. "I wanted answers from him and boy did I get some..."

"Ok Rory, you need to understand..." Chris sighed.

"How could you do that, dad? What gave you the right to blackmail Jess like that? Charlotte was devastated when he left. She cried herself to sleep all of the first week!" Rory exclaimed angrily. "And threatening to take Charlotte away from us? Seriously?"

"I didn't mean it! I just needed him to go!" Chris exclaimed.

"Why?"

"Because he's not good enough for Charlotte! She deserves better! I mean, look at the trouble he's got her in!"

"It was an accident, the crash! No one blamed Jess, not even mom! I can't believe you, dad!" Rory exclaimed.

"Are you going to tell Charlotte?" He asked quietly.

"No." Rory said seeing her dad take a sigh of relief. "But only because Jess begged me not to. That's how much he loves Charlotte. He doesn't want to ruin her relationship with you. And that's the kind of person you don't want her with?"

"Rory..."

"No, I don't want to hear it, dad. Come for the rehearsal dinner. Do what you want. But stay away from me." Rory snapped before storming off.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte and Rory were sat on the couch when Lorelai walked in. "Ok, so guess who's in the process of breaking up?" She said.

"Brad and Jen?" Charlotte asked.

"Bite your tongue." Lorelai said.

"We don't know, who?" Rory asked.

"Sherry and your dad." Lorelai told them.

"No!" Charlotte said. "Aw poor dad!"

"Dad told you that?" Rory asked suspiciously.

"Last night." Lorelai nodded.

"Wow. But they were so together." Charlotte said.

"I know. Well, now they're not." Lorelai shrugged.

Rory looked suspiciously at their mom who looked actually happy about this news. "You got home late last night." She said.

"Yeah well I was helping Sookie tidy up." She said.

"And obviously talking to dad."

"Well he was there, yes." She nodded.

"Mom please don't say you're getting back together with him." Rory groaned.

"What? No! Why would you say that?" Lorelai denied. "Would that be so bad?"

"Yes!" Rory exclaimed.

"Why?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Becasuse...well just because I don't want mom to be the rebound and then get hurt...again!" Rory said.

"Rory, we're not getting back together." Lorelai said unconvincingly.

"Good." Rory said.

"Ok then. I have to get to the inn." Lorelai said. "See you guys later." She said.

"Bye mom." Charlotte said before turning to Rory. "What is your problem?" She asked.

"I don't have a problem." Rory said.

"Yes you do! You've been down on dad ever since he's come back. What's your problem with him?" Charlotte asked.

"Nothing." She muttered.

"Well that was convincing." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I have to go ring Paris." Rory said walking off.

"Rory!"

Rory went to their bedroom and shut the door, leaving Charlotte stood there confused.

* * *

Later that night, Rory headed over to the inn as their mom still hasn't returned. She'd felt slightly guilty about what she had said to her so she was heading to the inn to see if she needed any help. Although, when she got there she same her mom and dad sat on the couch kissing.

"Ah, this is not happening." Lorelai said.

"I hope to god you're wrong." Chris joked.

"But it's us. I mean, you and I, we..." Lorelai said.

"Have never been in the same place at the same time." Chris said.

"But now..." Lorelai said leaning in to kiss him again. "My head is spinning." She said.

"It's all the plants in here, too much oxygen." Chris commented.

"What do we do now?" Lorelai asked.

"You know, I've got a room upstairs." Chris smirked.

"You were that sure you'd get lucky?" Lorelai teased.

"I never dreamed I'd get this lucky." Chris smiled.

"Aw, that's good." Lorelai smiled.

"So what do you say?" He said.

"I say lets go." Lorelai smiled grabbing his hand and leading him upstairs leaving Roey standing there shocked.

* * *

The following morning Lorelai, Chris, Charlotte and Rory were walking to the inn together for the wedding. Rory glanced at her mom and dad who were smiling, holding hands, and then at Charlotte who looked ecstatic. She saw her dad glance at her and try and smile but she just glared at him and kept walking.

Meanwhile at the diner, Luke had gone up to his apartment for a moment and was shocked to find Jess standing there. "Hey..."

"Hey.." Jess said.

"How did you get in here?" Luke asked.

"The door was open." Jess said.

"No, I mean, I was in the diner. I would have seen you come up the stairs...you know what, forget it, I don't want to know. So, how's everything back home?" Luke asked.

"Fine." He said.

"Your mom?"

"Fine."

"You in trouble?" Luke asked.

"No." Jess said.

"Then what the hell you doing here, Jess?" Luke sighed. "You know that night of the accident, I spent hours looking for you outside only to come back and find out you'd left without so much as a note. Everyone in the town thought I'd sent you home! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed.

"I want to come back." Jess admitted.

"You what?" Luke asked surprised.

"I want to come back." Jess repeated.

"Come back here?" Luke said.

"Yes."

"Here to Stars Hollow?" He clarified.

"Yes."

"To live in this apartment with me?" Luke asked.

"I said yes a million times already!" Jess exclaimed.

"You know what, you're the one asking for something so you don't get to be James Dean this time, okay? Now, one more time, you want to come back?" Luke said.

"Yes." Jess said quietly.

"Why?"

"I just...I need to make some amends." He admitted.

"Oh." Luke said suddenly understanding. He sighed. "You're not just going to leave again afterwards are you? Because if you are, then you're going nowhere near her, Jess. You've caused her too much hurt as it is."

"I love her." Jess said gruffly.

"You love her?" Luke said surprised Jess was opening up to him.

"Yeah." Jess said.

"Then why did you leave in the first place?"

"Long story." Jess sighed. "But I need to talk to her."

Luke sighed. "You know what people told me when I said you were coming here to live with me? They told me I was crazy, they told me I was insane, they told me to start writing letters to Jodie Foster but I ignored them." He said "I was so sure that I knew what I was doing and then you showed up and you know what happened? You proved them right." He sighed. "But then you and Charlotte got together and...well you changed. I could see it. You really love her?" He asked.

Jess just nodded.

"Things are going to have to be different, Jess. No more winding up the town." Luke said.

"I know." Jess said.

"Ok." Luke said.

"Ok?" Jess said hopefully.

"So you're staying?"

"I'm staying."

"Ok then. Stay. I've got to get back to the diner." Luke said.

"Uncle Luke?" Jess said.

"Yeah?" Luke said turning round.

"I'm sorry." Jess said. "And...thanks."

Luke just nodded. "She's not at home. She's at Sookie's wedding." He said.

"I'll help you close up later, ok?" He said.

"Sure." Luke said. He glanced at his nephew and gave him a small smile. "Good luck yeah?"

Jess chuckled a little. "I think I'm going to need it." He said. He sighed as he watches Luke disappear back down to the diner.

* * *

Before the wedding, people were mingling in the yard. Rory was watching Babette and Miss Patty sing at the piano with Charlotte when Tristan came up. "Hey you." He smiled, giving her a kiss.

"Hey. You look nice." Rory smiled.

"Thank you. You look beautiful." Tristan said.

"Thank you." Rory blushed.

"And on that note, I'm going to go find mom and dad." Charlotte joked before walking off.

"How's she doing?" Tristan asked.

"A bit better." Rory said. "I still wish she would talk to Jess though."

"She need to do it in her own time. I'm sure it'll happen." Tristan said.

"Yeah.." Rory said.

"So, how many cocktails caused that?" Tristan smirked gesturing towards the piano.

"Oh, they haven't had any cocktails yet." Rory grinned.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. When they start having cocktails, we're going to have to hide you." Rory smirked.

"I'm looking forward to that." He smirked. Just then his cell rang. "I'm not sure who'd be calling me now. Hello?" He frowned.

"Tristan?"

"Paris?" Tristan said surprised.

"Yes. I need to talk to Rory." She said.

"Sure, hold on." He said handing over the phone to Rory. "It's Paris." He smirked.

"What?" She said taking the phone. "Hello?

"We won!" Paris exclaimed.

"What?"

"We did it! We won!" Paris exclaimed.

"Wow...uh..that's...uh..." Rory said.

"Yeah yeah no time to get emotional. I've got to go. See you in Washington!" She said before hanging up.

"I think we won." Rory told Tristan.

"Congratulations." He smirked.

"Thanks." She :

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled coming up to them.

"Hey." Rory smiled. "Where's Charlotte?"

"With your grandparents."

"They came? I thought they thought it was a pity invite." Rory said.

"Don't ask." Lorelai said. "Hey, you know what's really great about being a grown up? This." She said holding up a drink.

"Well, thanks for the life lesson." Rory said.

"You're welcome. Hi Tristan!" She smiled.

"Hi." He smiled.

"You know, we're going to have to hide him from Patty and Babette once they hit the hooch." Lorelai said.

"Already told him." Rory nodded.

"Ok, well, I've got to check on some things. See you guys later." She smiled walking off.

"Bye!"

* * *

After the wedding ceremony, Christopher and Charlotte went for a walk.

"So I'm guessing your mom talked to you and Rory?" Chris said.

"She talks to us all the time, frequently when we're begging her not to." Charlotte joked.

"And she told you what we discussed?" He asked.

"She mentioned something about it, yes." Charlotte nodded.

"And what do you think about all this?" He asked.

"I don't know. What exactly are your intentions?" She asked seriously.

"Excuse me?"

"Your intentions, are they honourable?"

"Completely honourable." Chris nodded.

"Yeah? Because we have been waiting for this for a really long time and we take disappointment extremely hard. I mean it, property damage is often involved." Charlotte said.

"Well, I better follow through on this then, huh?" He smiled.

"I think that's an excellent idea." Charlotte grinned.

"Has Rory said anything to you about it?" Chris asked.

"No. I don't know what's going on with her at the moment but she'll come round. I know it." Charlotte said.

"Let's hope so." Chris said unconvinced. "Come here, you." He smiled giving her a hug. "I'm very proud of you. How you've been coping with everything." He said.

"Yeah...well...thanks." She said quietly not wanting to discuss Jess.

"I better get back to your mom. You coming?" He asked.

"In a bit. I think I'm going to walk for a bit longer." Charlotte said.

"Ok. See you later." Chris smiled before walking away.

Charlotte kept walking for a bit looking at the lovely landscape when suddenly she saw Jess standing by a tree, his hands in his pockets. She stared at him for a moment before turning round to walk in the opposite direction.

"Charlotte wait!" Jess said rushing after her.

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said.

"Oh now you want to talk?" Charlotte said angrily. "Well I don't want to hear it!"

"Please Charlotte! I need to explain!" Jess begged.

"Oh I know what your explanation is. You didn't love me so instead of being a man and telling me that you wanted to break up, you were a coward and bailed!" She snapped. "I've got nothing to say to you." She said going to walk away.

"Your dad made me leave." Jess said.

Charlotte stopped and turned round. "What?"

"Your dad found me that night and told me I had to leave or he would make my life hell." Jess said.

"I don't believe you." Charlotte said crossing her arms.

"I'm not lying." Jess said.

"So what if my dad did say that? The Jess I know wouldn't have taken any notice of that." Charlotte said.

"I didn't." He said. "But I did when he told me he'd take you away from here if I stayed. Away from Stars Hollow. Away from your mom and Rory and the town. I couldn't do that to you. You love this town. And your mom, Rory and you belong together."

"Just stop! Stop talking!" Charlotte exclaimed shaking her head. "I can't...you can't just come back and tell me these things. It's not fair!"

"I'm sorry." Jess said quietly. "But I needed to see you. I needed to explain. I missed you, Charlie. I love you." He exclaimed.

"I can't deal with this right now." Charlotte said.

"Ask Rory! I told her all this about your dad when she came to see me." He said. "I'm not lying. I wouldn't."

Charlotte suddenly thought about how Rory had been hostile to their dad ever since he'd returned. Was this why? "I need to go." She said quietly.

"Charlie..." Jess said softly.

"No! I can't do this. You hurt me! You really hurt me! I have to go!" Charlotte said before running off.

* * *

Charlotte ran straight back to the inn. She spotted her mom and dad with Sookie and Jackson on the porch. "Who do you think you are?" She shouted at her dad running up to them.

"What?" Chris said confused.

"Whoa, honey, what's going on?" Lorelai asked.

"Is it true? Did you threaten Jess?" Charlotte demanded.

"What? No! Why would you say that?" He asked.

"Because Jess just told me that you're the one that made him leave that night!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Is it true?"

"Wait a minute, Jess is back?" Lorelai said confused.

"Is it true?" Charlotte demanded. "And don't even think about lying! I've seen through your lies for years now. I know when you're lying!"

"I was looking out for you." Chris said quietly.

"Oh my god..." Charlotte said tears pricking your eyes.

"Ok hon, I know you're upset and we obviously need to talk this through but maybe we should go inside?" Lorelai said quietly. "This is Sookie and Jackson's day."

Charlotte looked at Sookie and Jackson ashamed. "Yeah." She said. "Sorry." She said before rushing inside. She turned back to her dad as they went inside and found Lorelai and Rory joining them too. "How could you dad?"

"You deserve better!" Chris exclaimed. "He's not good enough for you. Look at what happened to your wrist."

"That was an accident!" Charlotte exclaimed. She then looked at him full of hurt. "Is it true you told him that if he didn't leave, you would take me away from this town? Away from mom and Rory?"

"No!" Chris lied.

"Yes you did, dad! You admitted it to me!" Rory exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Charlotte turned on Rory.

"Jess begged me not to! He didn't want to ruin you and dad's relationship." Rory said. "Believe me, I wanted to tell you. That's why I kept nagging you to talk to Jess. Only he could tell you. He loves you, Charlie. He really loves you. I mean look what he did for you. He left so you could stay here with me and mom." Rory said quietly.

"I know." Charlotte said quietly, tears in her eyes. "I need to find Jess." She said.

"Charlotte..." Chris said.

"No." Charlotte shook her head. "I don't want to talk to you. Ever! We're over. We're done."

"You don't mean that." Chris said worried.

"I do! I don't ever want to see you again." Charlotte said venomously.

"I think you should go, Chris." Lorelai said quietly.

"Lor..."

"Go." She said coldly. "Go make things right with Sherry. Or don't. I really don't care. But if you ever honk about threatening to take my kid away from me, your life won't be worth living." She said.

"I didn't mean it like that...You would have seen her..." Chris tried.

"Go!" Lorelai shouted.

Chris knew it was useless so he reluctantly left.

Suddenly Luke came bursting in through the front door. "Charlotte, you need to come." He said.

"What? Why?"

"Jess is leaving!" Luke exclaimed.

"What?" Charlotte eyes widened. "Why?"

"I don't know. He wasn't making much sense. He was just saying how he shouldn't have come back and shouldn't have expected you to forgive him and that you deserved better than him. He's packing his stuff now and taking the next bus out of here!" Luke exclaimed.

"No, he is not doing this again. I won't let him!" Charlotte snapped before rushing out, followed by Luke, Lorelai and Rory.

* * *

Charlotte ran the fastest she'd ever ran before in her life. Just as she approached the square, she saw a bus just pulling off. "No!" She shouted running after it. "Stop! Stop! Jess!" She shouted but the bus kept going. She collapsed on the bench, putting her head in her hands. "No..." She cried. "Not again...not again..."

"Charlie...sweets..." Lorelai said softly coming up to her.

"He's gone. He's gone again. And this time it's my fault!" Charlotte cried. "I love him mom! He told me he loved me and now I can't tell him I love him too! I was too angry and now I've lost my chance!"

"Mom..." Rory said quietly.

Lorelai looked up and Rory gestured over to the diner steps where Jess was just coming out, holding a bag. She gasped. "Maybe you still can, hon." She told Charlotte. "Look..."

Charlotte looked up and her breath hitched when she saw Jess. She got up and they stared at each other for a moment before Charlotte ran forwards, flung her arms round his neck and kissed him passionately. "Please don't go. I love you so much. Please stay! I don't know if I can cope if you leave again." She begged, tears falling down her face.

"What?" Jess said shocked.

"Please stay. Please tell me you'll stay. I love you." Charlotte cried.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jess said before copying her action from before and kissing her back passionately. "I'm not going anywhere." He repeated.

"I love you so much." Charlotte cried into the kiss.

"I love you too." Jess said.

 **So I hoped you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming. They really do motivate me and I love reading what you think so thank you! :) And thank you so much for all your support so far. I'm really overwhelmed. :)**


	15. Author's Note

Just a quick note to say that if you have any suggestions for future storylines in this, I would gladly read them. PM me if you do! :)

I also realised my story didn't go to the top when updated so hopefully this will make it go there so that people know I've updated. :)

Thank you for your continued support! It really does mean so much to me. :)

xxx


	16. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the delay in updating! I was away for the weekend and then I was ill yesterday so didn't have the strength to write. Anyway, thank you so much for your continued support and thank you to those who sent me PMs! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 15

Lorelai was asleep when she suddenly woke up after a weird dream. She reached for the phone and called Rory at her dorm in Washington.

"Hello?" Rory answered.

"You have to come home." Lorelai said.

"Mom?"

"You're gone and the house is quiet because Charlotte sleeps in and then spends all day with Jess and Bill Maher's cancelled!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You had another dream." Rory said.

"Yes!"

"The doctor is in." Rory sighed.

"Ok, I'm lying in bed and I'm sleeping and I'm wearing this fabulous nightgown, and like thirty alarm clocks go off and so I get out of bed and I walk downstairs and there standing is the kitchen is Luke!" Lorelai told her.

"Was he naked?" Rory asked.

"What? No! He was making breakfast." Lorelai said.

"Naked?"

"Ok, you've been in Washington way too long." Lorelai said.

"Sorry. Go ahead, he was making breakfast..." Rory apologised.

"Eggs and pancakes and bacon, and he put decaf coffee in my regular coffee bag, which of course I knew immediately."

"Well of'course! You have the nose." Rory said.

"Exactly! So eventually I find the real stuff under the sink. He hands me my breakfast, and then..."

"What?"

"He kissed me and talked to my stomach!"

"Why would he do that?" Rory asked.

"Because apparently I'm pregnant!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"What?"

"With twins!" Lorelai said. Silence was heard on the other line. "Say something." She said.

"You are going to be so fat." Rory joked.

"Just analyse my dream, please."

"Ok. Well, your dream was telling you that you are secretly in love with Luke and you want to marry him and have his twins." Rory said.

"Uh...no...try again." Lorelai said.

"What do you mean, try again? You asked me to analyse your dream, I analysed your dream."

"Yes, well, I reject that analysis, so I'd like another one, please."

"You can't just reject an analysis and try again. You're not shopping for bathing suits here." Rory pointed out.

"Give me another analysis or I'll put your Taylor hula-hooping dream into a whole other context." Lorelai said. "I'm waiting..."

Rory sighed. "Ok, maybe you're still upset about what happened with Dad because you thought he was actually going to make good on his promise this time."

Lorelai sighed. "I miss you." She said.

"I miss you, too. How's Charlotte doing?"

"I barely see her most days because she's either hanging out at the diner with Jess or she's out with Jess." Lorelai said.

"Has she mentioned dad?" Rory asked quietly.

"No. She changes the subject whenever he comes up. I know he's been ringing her because her phone goes off constantly. He even tried ringing here." Lorelai told her.

"And?" Rory asked.

"And Charlotte answered and then hung up almost immediately." Lorelai sighed.

"I don't blame her." Rory said. "I mean, he was threatening to take Charlotte away from us. We should thank Jess really. What if he had stayed and dad had taken her?"

"I don't know, hon." Lorelai sighed. "To be honest, I don't really want to talk about your dad either."

"Sorry." Rory said quietly.

"So what do you have on your agenda for tomorrow? Or, today, actually." Lorelai asked.

"We have a breakfast mixer with members of Congress and the Senate."

"Cool! See if you can steal me something off of Tom Daschle's fruit plate." Lorelai grinned.

"I'll see what I can do."

"See you Friday, sweets." Lorelai said softly.

"See you Friday. Bye mom." Rory smiled.

* * *

That morning, Charlotte was lying on the grass near the bridge snuggled into Jess. "I don't want to go back to school on Monday." She sighed.

"You and me both." Jess said.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you're back?" Charlotte smiled softly.

"I believe you have." Jess nodded.

"Well I am." Charlotte smiled leaning over to kiss him. "These last six weeks have been fun."

"Sure have."

Just then, Charlotte's cell rang. She reached into her pocket and took it out. She looked at the caller ID and groaned before declining the call.

"Your dad again?" Jess asked glancing at her.

"Yep. For like the hundredth time. You'd think he'd get the message." She scowled.

"So, what? You're never going to talk to him again?" Jess asked.

"Nope." Charlotte said.

"Really?"

"Yep."

Jess sighed. "Charlie, I don't want to be the reason why you never talk to your dad again."

"You're not." Charlotte said. She sighed when he raised his eyebrows. "Well ok, maybe you are partly. He had no right to send you away. But he also threatened to take me away from mom and Rory. I don't know if I would have been able to cope without you and without them. It shook mom as well. I know it has." She sighed.

"How can you tell?" He asked.

"He's been calling the house and she won't speak to him. He's also sent her a letter but I saw her rip it up before even reading it when she thought I wasn't watching her. She's given him every opportunity to be there for us. She's always kept the door open for him and he repays her by doing this." Charlotte said. "It's unforgivable. And right now, I really don't want to see him or talk to him."

"Fair enough." Jess said. "Hey, you know what could cheer your mom up?"

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Set her up with someone." Jess smirked.

"What do you mean? I don't think she's ready for something like that..."

"Not even with a grumpy diner man who's liked her for years?" Jess said.

Charlotte's face suddenly broke into a grin. "You want to set her up with Luke?"

"He's constantly pining for her. It's so obvious they like each other. They're just too stubborn to admit it." Jess said. "Plus it'll get Luke off my back for a bit." He shrugged.

"What were you thinking? How will we do this?" Charlotte asked suddenly getting excited. Jess was right. Luke and her mom have clearly liked each other for years and he had been there for them constantly throughout the years.

"Rory's back Friday, right?" Jess asked.

"Yep." Charlotte nodded.

"Ok, well how about you run it by her and then we'll come up with an idea?" Jess suggested.

Charlotte grinned at him. "I knew there was a reason I was dating you. Because you're a big softy deep down."

"Yeah whatever." He said rolling his eyes.

"I love you." Charlotte smiling snuggling back down next to him.

"I love you too." Jess smirked, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

That evening, Rory was on the phone with Tristan. "My plane gets in at three." She told him.

"Cool! Meet you in Stars Hollow?" Tristan asked.

"Red, purple, green, where the hell is it?" Paris exclaimed in the background.

"Sounds good." Rory smiled. "Hmm, perhaps I'll go blonde." She joked.

"I strongly request that you don't." Tristan chuckled.

"Afraid of change?" Rory teased.

"No, I just like what I have." Tristan replied.

"I like a man who settles." Rory grinned.

"I've missed you. My summer holidays have been so boring." Tristan complained.

"I've missed you too." Rory said.

"Hey, hey, stop being cute! I need help here!" Paris exclaimed.

Rory sighed. "Sorry, I have to go. Paris is melting down." She said.

"Why?" Tristan asked.

"She has a date tonight."

"Really?" He asked surprised.

"Don't sound so surprised!" Paris shouted in the background.

"How do you know he sounded surprised?" Rory asked.

"Because I'm a genius, Rory. I have deep and powerful clairvoyant abilities." Paris said sarcastically.

"Oh boy." Rory said.

"For example, I can instantly deduce that when someone hears the name Paris in the same sentence with the word date, jaws will drop, confused looks will cover faces, words like 'how' and 'why' and 'Quick, Bob, get the children in the minivan because the world is obviously coming to an end!' will immediately fly out of peoples' mouths." She continued.

"I have to go." She told Tristan apologetically.

"Are you sure it's safe?" He joked.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you Friday." She said.

"See you Friday." Tristan smiled. "I love you."

Rory froze. That was the first time each of them had said that to each other. "I...I love you too." She said her face breaking into a smile.

"Bye Mary." Tristan smirked.

"Bye Tristan." Rory smiled softly before hanging up.

After helping Paris prepare for her date, she decided to ring Charlotte for a catch up.

"Hello?" Charlotte answered.

"Wow, she actually answers." Rory teased.

"Yeah, yeah, I know! I'm sorry. I've been out with Jess a lot so I don't always hear my phone." Charlotte said.

"It's ok. So you and Jess are good then?" Rory asked.

Charlotte smiled thinking about her boyfriend. "We're more than good." She admitted.

"That's good. I'm glad." Rory smiled. It was so nice hearing her sister so much happier.

"Hey, so I've got an idea." Charlotte said. "Well, actually it was Jess' idea but still..."

"What is it?" Rory asked intrigued.

"Setting up mom and Luke." Charlotte said.

"What?" Rory laughed.

"Oh come on, it's perfect! They've both been pining after each other for years! They just need a push in the right direction." Charlotte said.

"Ok, you're right about that. But don't you think it's a little soon after...well, you know..." Rory said not wanting to bring up their dad.

"So what? She deserves to be happy and she would be with Luke. Luke's been there constantly for us, hasn't he? He's done so much for mom and us." She pointed out.

"I guess..." Rory said thinking back to the dream that their mom had told her about.

"They would be so good together, don't you think?" Charlotte pressed.

Rory had to smile at her sister's enthusiasm. "Ok, ok, so what's the plan?" She laughed.

"Yes!" Charlotte grinned. "Uh..well we don't have one at the moment. Jess wanted me to run it by you first."

"Ok...well..." Rory said thinking. "We've got Friday Night Dinner on Friday right?" She said.

"Right." Charlotte nodded.

"Why don't we try and get mom to go to Luke's afterwards? I'm assuming Grandma will start asking about...well...dad." Rory said hesitantly. "It's bound to upset her and who's the only one who can always cheer her up after dinner?"

"Luke." Charlotte smiled.

"Exactly." Rory said. "Why don't you talk to Jess and maybe he can make sure Luke's still downstairs when we get back? Mom won't go in if she thinks Luke's gone upstairs."

"Sure, I can do that." Charlotte nodded. "And then maybe Jess can come over to ours?"

"Sure." Rory nodded. "I'm meeting up with Tristan once I'm back but maybe he can meet us after dinner instead?"

"Sounds good."

"Cool, ok so I'll see you Friday then." Rory smiled.

"I can't wait! I've missed you, sis." Charlotte admitted.

"I've missed you too." Rory smiled. "Bye Charlie."

"Bye Ror." Charlotte smiled before hanging up.

* * *

Friday morning soon came and Jess was helping Luke out with the diner rush. He glanced across at him, where he was making more coffee. "So Rory's coming back today." He said.

"Oh yeah, Lorelai mentioned it." Luke said.

"Yeah, Charlotte was really excited. I think she's missed her more than she's let on." Jess chuckled.

"Yeah, well I guess they haven't been apart from each other this long since...well, never." Luke said.

"Yeah..." Jess said. "So...uh...have you and Lorelai talked much since everything with...uh...Charlotte and Rory's dad?" He asked cautiously.

"Not much." Luke said. "She's been working at the inn a lot." He looked over at Jess. "Why?" He asked.

"No reason." Jess shrugged.

"Ok..." Luke said not quite believing him.

"It must have hit her hard, huh?" Jess said. "She hasn't confided in you about it?"

"Why would she confide in me?" Luke asked narrowing his eyes.

"Well, you two are friends. Best friends in fact." Jess pointed out. "Wouldn't it be normal for her to confide in you?"

"Well she hasn't said much to me." Luke said.

"Ok." Jess said.

"What's going on? Why are you asking me all these questions about Lorelai?" Luke asked.

"No reason." Jess shrugged going to take some customer's order but stopped when he passed Lorelai. "It could be your time..." He said before walking off to a table, leaving a surprised Luke just standing there.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory had just walked into arrivals at the airport. She looked around.

"Hey Gilmore!" Lorelai called from across the room, beaming.

Rory looked across and grinned when she saw her mom jumping up and down and waving her hand while Charlotte was stood next to her, grinning, holding a banner saying _Welcome Home Rory!_ on it. "Mom!" She exclaimed rushing over to them.

They ran to each other and the three of them hugged before falling to the ground after losing balance.

"Ow, ow!" Lorelai laughed.

"Ah!" Rory exclaimed.

"Luckily there are video cameras everywhere that caught that very graceful moment on tape." Charlotte joked.

"I am so glad to see you!" Rory grinned.

"No, we're glad to see you!" Lorelai beamed.

"Very glad!" Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"I'm never leaving home again." Rory joked.

"Oh, that's my emotionally stunted girl!" Lorelai joked. "Hey, we got you gifts." She said.

"What? I'm the one who left town. I'm supposed to get you gifts!" Rory laughed.

"We got here early and there was nothing to do except feed gummy bears to the bomb-sniffing dogs which, apparently, the United States government frowns upon." Charlotte grinned.

"You got in trouble with the government while you were waiting for me?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Just a little." Lorelai shrugged.

"How much is a little?" Rory asked.

"Learn Russian." She joked. "Anyway, here you go. We stopped into some shops." Lorelai said handing her the gift bag.

"Wow, a Hartford, Connecticut sweatshirt!" Rory said opening the gift bag.

"Nice, huh?" Lorelai grinned.

Rory looked in the gift bag. "Hartford, Connecticut notebook, Hartford, Connecticut pencil set, a Hartford, Connecticut shot glass." Rory laughed.

"And beer mug!" Charlotte quipped.

"Hartford baguette, Hartford bear, a Hartford sunglasses." Rory continued.

"You like?" Lorelai asked.

"I love." Rory beamed. "Thanks!"

"Alright, let's go." Lorelai said. "Let's hit the road and I can't wait to hear all about Washington."

"Sounds good!" Rory smiled as the three of them finally got up from the floor.

"First thing's first! Paris had a date?" Charlotte asked as they left the airport.

* * *

That evening, the three of them stood outside the Gilmore Mansion as Lorelai rang the doorbell.

"Lorelai, girls! Nice to see you." Emily smiled answering the door.

"Sorry we're late, Mom." Lorelai said.

"No, don't be sorry. That's what the warm setting was invented for. Richard, they're here!" Emily called.

"Uh...Mom...before we get the evening started and all, I want to tell you something." Lorelai said taking a deep breath. Her mother had invited Christopher as well that evening and she knew it would be better to get it over with quick and then distract them with Rory and Washington.

"Well, tell me outside." Emily said.

"No, I'll just do it here." Lorelai said.

"Why?"

"Oh, there's just something about standing near the exit that's really working for me." Lorelai joked nervously.

"You're being silly. You don't discuss things standing by a door. Come outside, come on." Emily said leading them through.

"I may have to take one more call tonight, Emily. Ben Stellen and I got cut off. Hello Lorelai. Charlotte, Rory." He smiled.

"Well, come outside with us until he calls back. Lorelai's about to tell us something." She said.

"Oh, perhaps that she's decided to buy an accurate timepiece." Richard joked.

"Oh, Richard." Emily rolled her eyes. "So what is it? Are you all ok?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, we're all fine." Lorelai said. "It's not really that big a deal."

"What would you like to drink?" Richard asked going over to the drinks cabinet outside.

"Oh, whatever." Lorelai said.

"I can't read minds, Lorelai."

"White wine's fine, dad." Lorelai said.

"Sodas for us." Rory said.

"Ok sit, sit!" Emily told them. "Now go ahead."

"Ok, well..."

"Oh, wait just a second. We brought you something from Martha's Vineyard." Emily said.

Lorelai gave Rory and Charlotte an exasperated look and they just gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Oh, that's great, but maybe we could just do this..." Lorelai tried but Emily gae her a gift bag so she gave up and opened it. "Scone mix...wow!" She said.

"This new little place opened right down the road from our house and they make these wonderful scones, and that is their mix so you can make them right in your own kitchen." Emily said excitedly.

"Cool!" Charlotte said.

"Well thanks, Mom. I will put this right on the counter and stare at it for many years to come." Lorelai joked.

"You're not going to make them?"

"Oh, I'm not really much of a baker." Lorelai said.

"But the instructions are right there on the back." Emily pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but still..."

"Still what? Those are good scones."

"Hey, maybe I'll give this to Sookie and she'll bake them." Lorelai suggested.

"I don't understand why you simply can't follow those directions and make the scones." Emily exclaimed.

"Charlotte and Rory would love those scones, I'm sure." Richard said.

"Yeah we really would." Rory nodded.

"Hey, maybe Luke can make them!" Charlotte grinned, enjoying teasing her mom.

"Ok, I promise one way or another, the scones will get eaten. That being said, can we please move on?" Lorelai asked giving her daughters a look.

"Fine, go ahead, talk. We're listening." Emily said.

"Uh...ok, well...uh...it's about Christopher." Lorelai said.

"Oh, that reminds me, we got him a captain's hat. Richard, where is that hat? Lorelai can bring it to him." Emily said.

"No, I can't!" Lorelai exclaimed exasperated.

"Why not?"

"Because we're not...we aren't..." Lorelai tried.

"Aren't what?" Richard asked.

Emily suddenly understood and scowled. "They aren't together anymore, Richard." She said stiffly.

"Why not?" Richard asked.

"I'm sure a vague reason is forthcoming." Emily said sarcastically.

"It just didn't work out, that's all." Lorelai sighed.

"And there it is." Emily said.

"I know you're disappointed."

"Disappointed, oh please! Lorelai, this is ridiculous. The two of you aren't in high school anymore."

"I know."

"Emily, let's not talk about this." Richard said.

"No, we are going to talk about it. You're running around like you have no responsibility in life, like you can flit from thing to thing..." Emily exclaimed angrily.

"That's not true!" Lorelai argued.

"...from man to man." Emily continued.

"I don't flit from man to man." Lorelai said offended.

"You have two daughters, this affects them too, you know!"

"Emily, you're wasting your breath." Richard said.

"Will you just stop this?" Charlotte suddenly exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Emily said surprised.

"Charlie, it's ok." Lorelai said softly.

"No! You don't have to defend him anymore. Mom's not with dad because he threatened to take me away to live with him." Charlotte said angrily. "He threatened to take me away from mom and Rory and you guys and Stars Hollow."

"Surely he wouldn't do that." Richard said surprised.

"Oh he did, Grandpa! After threatening my boyfriend and sending him out of the town!" Charlotte scowled. "Dad's made his bed. He can sleep in it. Personally, I'm very glad mom gave him his marching orders."

"There's no reason to raise your voice." Emily frowned.

"I'm sorry. But you weren't listening. You just jumped in and blamed mom like you always do!" Charlotte said.

"So you and that hoodlum are back together?" Emily said stiffly.

"Jess." Charlotte said. "And yes, we are. And we can't be happier."

"And you're backing this?" Emily demanded, looking at Lorelai.

"What?" Lorelai asked confused.

"You approve of your daughter traipsing round with this no good hoodlum who got her into a car wreck?" She demanded to know.

"Hey!" Charlotte exclaimed angrily.

"Yes I approve of them." Lorelai said. "Charlotte loves him and he loves her."

"Please!" Emily scoffed.

"Look, I know this is all a shock for you but everything Charlotte said was true. And that's why I'm not with Chris anymore." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, you have to talk to him!" Emily exclaimed.

"About what? There's nothing to talk about." Lorelai said firmly.

"You two belong together. So what if he threatened to take Charlotte? I'm certain he wouldn't have kept her from you." Emily said.

"That's not the point..." Lorelai said.

"You're too stubborn. And for one thing, I'm glad he drove that Jess away from that town. If only it had worked." Emily scowled.

"Ok, I'm leaving." Charlotte said getting up.

"Mom!" Lorelai said. "I know you're not a fan of Jess. I wasn't either at the start but he's a good kid and he loves Charlotte. He's also the nephew of Luke and I know Luke would never let Jess hurt her."

"Ah Luke...yes..." Emily said stiffly.

"What's that meant to mean?" Lorelai frowned.

"He's the diner guy." Emily said.

"Yes, so?"

"Ah." Emily said.

"Mom!"

"It makes sense now. You would rather give up Christopher for a scruffy cretin of a man." Emily snapped.

"Ok that's it!" Lorelai said angrily. "You can scream and shout and insult me all you like. But you do not insult me friends. Luke has been there for me through everything. You have no right to judge him. You don't even know him. We're leaving."

"Now Lorelai...I'm sure we can..." Richard started.

"I'm sorry dad. But I can't stay here any longer. Not tonight. I know this has been a shock for you both but I won't have my friends insulted or Charlotte's choice in boyfriends." Lorelai said firmly. "We'll see you next week. Come on girls." She said before her, Charlotte and Rory then left the house.

* * *

Lorelai drove through the square and pulled up in the town square across from the diner. She sighed and looked back at Charlotte. "I'm sorry your Grandma said those things about Jess." She said.

"It's not your fault." Charlotte said.

"I know but..." Lorelai said.

"It's fine mom." Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Thanks for defending Jess though. It felt nice."

"He's a good kid. I know that now." Lorelai said.

"Yeah. He is." Charlotte smiled. She saw her mom glance across at the diner and exchanged a look with Rory. Charlott looked over too and smiled when she saw Jess and Luke still downstairs. "Why don't you go and get us some food? I'm sure Luke will make some for us."

"I don't know...He looks busy." Lorelai said.

"Come on mom, when is Luke ever too busy for you?" Rory pointed out.

Lorelai looked at her daughters for a moment, suspiciously. "Ok what's going on?"

"Nothing." Rory said.

"Yeah. We're just hungry, that's all."

"So, let's all go in then." Lorelai said.

"Oh no, we'll meet you at home." Charlotte said quickly.

"Why won't you go in?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Jess is in there."

"I know but...uh..." Charlotte said trying to come up with an excuse.

"I promised her some sister time." Rory helped her out.

"Yeah. We were going to have some sisterly bonding. Catching up and stuff." Charlotte said.

"Ok." Lorelai relented, buying it.

"We'll walk back so you can have the jeep." Charlotte said.

"Ok, but be careful and text me when you're back." Lorelai said.

"Ok." Rory said.

They then watched as their mom headed over to the diner. Lorelai opened the door and went inside. "Hey..." She said.

"Hey." Luke said.

"I'm out." Jess said heading for the door.

"What? Jess!" Luke called after him but Jess ignored him and headed over to Charlotte and Rory. "I guess we wait now."

"I guess we do." Charlotte grinned.

"So how was dinner?" He asked.

Charlotte's smiled faded. "Rubbish." She said.

"What happened?" Jess asked.

"What we expected would happen. Grandma went off on one at mom." Charlotte scowled. "Like it was all her fault...and she...she said some stuff about you as well." She said quietly.

Jess glanced at her. "Not a fan huh?" He guessed.

"No." Charlotte said glumly. "But I don't care what she thinks."

"Good to know." Jess said.

"Mom defended you." Charlotte said.

"She did? Wow..." Jess smirked.

"Yeah, I was surprised myself but I guess now she knows the real reason you left, you're no longer on her hate list." Charlotte said with a slight smirk.

"Good to know." Jess chuckled.

They headed to their house and Rory's face lit up when she saw Tristan waiting for her on the porch steps. "Tristan!" She exclaimed rushing over to him.

"Hey." Tristan smiled.

Rory leant in to give him a kiss. "Hi..." She smiled.

"Nice welcome." Tristan smirked.

"Well what can I say? I've missed you." Rory grinned.

"Back at you." Tristan smirked leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Alright you two, stop the sickening stuff and let's go inside." Charlotte joked heading inside with Jess.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the diner, Lorelai was sat at the counter with a cup of coffee.

"So I'm guessing dinner didn't go well..." Luke commented seeing the look on her face.

"You could say that." She sighed. "I told them about Christopher. Somehow it's all my fault."

"What?" Luke asked confused.

"My mother's mind. Don't ask." Lorelai sighed.

"Well you don't believe her, do you?" He asked.

Lorelai shrugged.

"Lorelai, none of what Christopher did was your fault." Luke said firmly. "You didn't know about what he said to Jess."

"I knew he blamed him! He said as much that first night! I should have put two and two together!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I could have stopped Charlotte from going through two weeks of hell. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't the best two weeks of Jess' life either." She said. "Or yours." She added glancing up at his.

"Still wasn't your fault." Luke shrugged.

Lorelai sighed. "This is the second time I let myself do this."

"Do what?" Luke asked.

"Think I finally found it."

"Found what?"

"Love, comfort, safety..." Lorelai said.

"Ah." Luke said understanding.

"I mean, first with Max, which of course I screwed up, and then with Christopher which of course well...it was screwed up." She said sullenly.

"Yup, it's tough when the universe is against you. That's like taking on the Manhattan garbage union." Luke commented.

"I always thought if he could just get it together, grow up...maybe we could do it. Maybe we could really be a family, in the stupid, traditional 'Dan Quayle, golden retriever, grow old together, wear matching jogging suits' kind of way. And then he did get it together and he became that guy but then...he screws it up all over again. Charlotte can't even talk about him, Rory's furious with him and I...well I just can't believe I fell for it again. I just feel so stupid." She admitted.

"You're not stupid." Luke said.

"And now I am in exactly the same place that I was in before. Rightly so because I stupidly fell for his act. I mean he even asked me about how Charlotte was doing! He acted so sincere and all along he knew it was him that had sent Jess away in the first place!" She exclaimed. She then sighed. "I just...I want to find that...right thing with the right person. Is that so much to ask?" She asked.

"Is is so bad?" Luke asked. "I mean, you've got that special relationship with Rory and Charlotte. No one's going to take that away from you."

Lorelai smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"You've got friends, you got a house, a job, apparently an iron stomach." He joked.

"No, it's not so bad. I'm lucky, I know." Lorelai said. "I just...I feel like I'm never going to have it...the whole package, you know? That person, that couple life, and I swear, I hate admitting it because I fancy myself Wonder Woman, but...I really want it...the whole package." She admitted.

Luke picked up a doughnut and put it on a plate, placing it in front of her. "You'll get it." He said.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I know." He said.

"How do you know?" Lorelai pressed.

Luke sighed. "Because you're an amazing person ok, Lorelai?" He said. "Who wouldn't want you?"

Lorelai looked up in surprise. "Luke..."

"Whoever you end up with should count themselves lucky. Look at everything you've achieved in your life. You singlehandedly raised two incredible girls whilst holding on to a full time job at the same time. You started at the bottom but you run the inn now. And let's not forget you were 16!" He said.

Lorelai glanced at Luke. "Thanks." She said softly.

"You're an incredible woman, Lorelai. Don't let people like Chris get you down. You deserve so much better than him." Luke said softly.

Lorelai gave him a small smile but was then shocked when she looked into his eyes. Sookie was right. What had she said? _"Look the guy in the eye, it's right there."_ And here she was looking him in the eye and she could see it. She could finally see it. "Luke..." She said softly.

"I'm sorry ok?" Luke sighed. "I shouldn't have..."

"Just shut up for a moment." Lorelai said getting up and going round the counter to him.

"What are you doing?" He asked confused.

"Shh.." She said.

"You're not allowed behind the counter." He said.

"Luke!" She laughed, grabbing hold of his hands.

"What are you doing?" He asked again.

"Getting my whole package." Lorelai replied softly before leaning in and kissing him. She pulled away after a moment. "Sorry..." She said laughing nervously.

"No...don't apologise." Luke said in shock.

"I shouldn't have just sprung that on you..." Lorelai said. "I shouldn't have just assumed..." She rambled.

"Lorelai..." Luke interrupted her.

"You're the guy, Luke. You're the one who's been there for me for years through good and bad. You care about my kids, you look out for us constantly..." Lorelai said softly. "I don't know why I never realised it before. You're the guy, Luke. You always have been."

Luke let out a nervous breath. "You've always been the girl for me." He admitted.

Lorelai glanced at him. "Is this...should I...should I just turn around and go home and pretend this never happened?"

"No." Luke said. "No you really shouldn't."

"Really?" She asked.

"You've always been the girl for me. Ever since I met you." He admitted. "You stole my heart that first day you burst into the diner." He said before leaning in to reciprocate her action and kissed her back. He pulled away after another moment and they smiled at each other, laughing again. "Do you want to come upstairs?" He asked.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"Jess is out." Luke said. "Although I don't know where...hang on a minute..." He said suddenly. "Jess was asking me all these weird questions about you this morning."

"Like what?" Lorelai asked.

"Like if I had talked to you much since...everything that had happened...and then he said it could be my time..." Luke frowned.

"What did he mean by that?" Lorelai asked confused.

"I don't know...but by the speed he left the diner, I have a feeling he knew you might be coming in." Luke said.

Lorelai frowned. "You know, Rory and Charlotte were quite insistent that I came in here tonight." She said. "Alone." She added.

"Really?" Luke asked.

Lorelai just shook her head and laughed. "Oh they're good..." She said.

"You think they set this up?" Luke asked surprised.

"Don't you?" Lorelai asked.

Luke thought back on his conversation with Jess. "Maybe..."

"I think we might have just been had..." Lorelai smirked.

"Huh...It does seem like it." Luke chuckled. He glanced at her. "Do you still want to come upstairs? I've not got much but I've got beer."

Lorelai smiled. "I'd like that. Lead the way."

Luke smiled and grabbed her hand before leading her upstairs.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai returned home and found Rory, Tristan, Charlotte and Jess hanging out in the living room.

"Hey did you get food?" Rory asked.

"How was Luke?" Charlotte asked.

"You are so busted." Lorelai said.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading them so thank you for all your comments! :)**


	17. Chapter 16

**Thank you so much for your continued support! It really does mean so much to me. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 16

Tristan and Jess left soon after Lorelai had come home, sensing that she wanted some time alone with Charlotte and Rory.

"So how was Luke?" Charlotte asked again.

"You set it up, didn't you?" Lorelai asked them both. "And don't lie because I know Jess has been saying stuff about me to Luke as well." She added.

Charlotte and Rory exchanged a glance, not knowing whether their mom was mad or not. "We might have." Charlotte admitted.

"Why?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Because you deserve to be happy, mom! We wanted to cheer you up." Charlotte said.

Lorelai sighed. "So you thought trying to set me up with Luke would make me forget about your dad?" She asked.

"Not forget." Rory said. "Just...well, dad doesn't deserve you. You deserve someone who will be there for you, who keeps their promises."

"Like Luke." Charlotte said. "Luke's been there for you through everything even when he didn't need to be. And he's been there for us too."

"We wanted you to be happy." Rory said.

"Sorry." Charlotte sighed. "So I'm guessing it didn't work?"

Lorelai couldn't help but smile. She was touched that her daughters had done it to make her happy and she thought back to that kiss with Luke.

"Wait a minute..." Rory narrowed her eyes. "I know that smile."

"Yeah you had it when you started dating Max." Charlotte said.

"And you had it after telling us about dad." Rory said.

"Oh my god, something did happen, didn't it?" Charlotte exclaimed excitedly.

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "Ok, yes, something may have happened..." She admitted.

"Tell us!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Ok, well we were just talking. Or more like I was talking and he was listening." Lorelai joked.

"Like always." Rory joked.

"And he was saying all these really nice things and I don't know...suddenly I just saw it." She shrugged.

"Saw what?" Rory asked.

"The look. That look that Sookie's been going on about." Lorelai said.

"Ah, the 'look him in the eyes, it's right there' look." Charlotte nodded knowingly. "I've seen that look."

"Yeah...and suddenly it was like I just realised there and then that maybe..." Lorelai started.

"Maybe what?" Rory asked.

"Maybe he was the guy." She shrugged.

"Please say you told him that." Charlotte grinned.

"I did. But I may have showed him as well." Lorelai blushed slightly. "Luke and I kissed ok?" She admitted.

Charlotte squealed and launched herself at her mom, giving her a hug. "This is so great!" She exclaimed.

"It's about time." Rory smirked.

"So you two would really be ok with this?" Lorelai asked.

"Are you kidding? We set it up, mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"I know but...you two are my priorities. If this is going to be in any way weird for you, just say." Lorelai said softly.

"Mom, we love Luke." Rory said sincerely.

"Yeah, he's always around the house anyway. It's not like it's going to be any different." Charlotte smiled.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"We're happy for you, mom." Rory smiled.

"So what, you kissed and then came home?" Charlotte asked.

"Not exactly." Lorelai said. "He asked if I wanted to go upstairs so I did and..."

"Ok do we want to hear this?" Charlotte grimaced.

"Stop it!" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "We talked, that's it. We drank some beer he had and then we talked. Really talked. About us, about what it might mean, about what we both want."

"And?" Charlotte asked.

"We agreed we both wanted it. But we also agreed we were going to talk to you two and Jess first." Lorelai said.

"Aw that's sweet." Rory grinned.

"So you're really both ok with this? If we start something...?" She asked.

"Of course we're ok with it!" Charlotte said.

"Yeah, you deserve it mom." Rory smiled. "We should probably head to bed though. It's getting late."

"Yeah you're right." Lorelai said. "Breakfast at Luke's tomorrow?"

"Absolutely." Charlotte grinned, getting up with them. She went over and hugged her mom. "You picked a good one, mom." She said quietly.

Lorelai smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "I know." She said softly.

"Night mom."

"Night sweets." Lorelai smiled and watched them head to their room before heading upstairs herself.

* * *

Jess had returned to the diner and headed up to the apartment. He found Luke sat on the couch watching something on their tv. "Hey." Jess said heading over to his bed.

"Did you enjoy it?" Luke asked.

"What?" Jess asked.

"Meddling in other people's lives." Luke said.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Jess commented.

"No? So you had no hand in making sure that Lorelai and I would be alone in the diner this evening?" He said.

"Nope. Guess it was a coincidence." He said.

"Huh. Interesting." Luke said.

"Yup." Jess said. "Ok well I'm going to..." He said gesturing to his bed.

"Would you have a problem if something happened with me and Lorelai?" Luke suddenly asked.

Jess turned to look at him. "Why, has something already happened?" He asked.

"Maybe." Luke said. "Would you have a problem with it?"

"Doesn't make a difference to me." Jess shrugged.

"Really?" Luke asked.

"It's your life." Jess commented. "Plus she's doing me a favour distracting you. It will get you off my back."

"So there was a motive to your antics then." Luke said, smirking slightly.

Jess glanced at him and smirked. "Perhaps." He admitted. "Night Uncle Luke."

"Night Jess." Luke said, getting up to head over to his own bed but he had a small smile on his face as he did.

* * *

The following Friday Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, and Emily were sitting in the living room of the Gilmore Mansion in complete silence.

"Well, this is nice, isn't it?" Rory said trying to make conversation between them all but her mom and Charlotte were being stubborn and not very helpful. "So, Grandma, Grandpa is travelling again, right?" She asked hoping to have more luck with her.

"Yes, he is." Emily replied.

"Business must be good then." Rory said.

"Seems to be."

"That's great. Isn't that great, Mom?" Rory said.

"A jig is forthcoming." Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Mom's business is great, too. I mean, not that it's without its problem, you know, but they're usually funny problems." Rory said. "Like...uh...oh! Mom, why don't you tell Grandma about the mouse?"

"What mouse?" Emily asked.

"Mom?" Rory begged.

Lorelai sighed. "There's a mouse at the inn." She said.

"Is the place dirty?" Emily asked imperiously.

"No, it's just surrounded by this thing called nature and...mice happen." Lorelai said.

"Mice carry diseases, you know."

"It's a tiny little field mouse, Mom."

"I don't care how big it is, it's still a rodent." Emily said.

"Let's just change the subject, shall we?" Lorelai suggested, giving Rory a look when she saw her smiling slightly.

"You should set a trap." Emily continued.

"Got it covered."

"Just make sure you don't use poison."

"Got it covered, mom."

"They will eat the poison and then go into the walls and die, decompose, and the entire place will smell."

"I've got it covered, but thanks." Lorelai said.

"I just have to say, I don't know why you're the one sitting here with an attitude. I'm the one who should be mad." Emily said.

Charlotte snorted.

"And I don't know what you're upset about, young lady." Emily said.

"Let's not do this, ok Mom?" Lorelai said.

"You slagged off my boyfriend in front of me!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well he's beneath you! You should be with someone with a proper family." Emily said stiffly.

"He is from a proper family." Charlotte said gritting her teeth.

"Really? Then where are his parents? Why is he living with his uncle in that diner?" Emily said not being able to hide her disgust.

"It's not his fault what his parents are like. But Luke is his family and Luke is probably the best thing that's happened to Jess. They might not be high society like you, Grandma, but they're good people and they don't deserve to be talked about like this." Charlotte said. "And I love Jess. Nothing you say will break us up." She added, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Anyway..." Emily said ignoring what Charlotte had said. "...as I was saying, I should be the one upset and angry. You're the ones who just walked out of here last week without saying a word."

"Because we couldn't get a word in! And you were insulting our friends. Do you think we would really sit around to hear that?" Lorelai said.

"Your father and I were shocked and upset." Emily said.

"So what else is new?"

"You didn't give us five minutes to digest the news."

"What, that Chris threatened to take my kid away from me?" Lorelai said. "Please mom, just find the off switch."

"You simply dumped it on us and walked out. I hardly think that's fair."

"Mom, it doesn't matter! It's over. Let's just move on, ok? We came here to have a nice evening, so...come on, let's have it." Lorelai said picking up a newspaper from the coffee table.

"Something smells good." Rory commented.

"Braised lamb shank." Emily said.

"Oh, braised lamb shank! I love a lamb shank when it is braised. Don't you Charlie?" Rory asked her sister.

Charlotte couldn't help but smile at Rory's attempts to get peace between them. "Yeah a braised lamb shank isn't bad." She relented.

"Oh my god!" Lorelai suddenly exclaimed.

"Reading in front of other people is extremely rude, Lorelai." Emily said disapprovingly.

"Shauna Christy shot her husband!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"What?" Emily said.

"Shauna Christy, you remember Shauna Christy!"

"Yes, I remember Shauna Christy, she was a lovely girl."

"Well, apparently this lovely girl came home to find her husband giving the nanny a nice little bonus package. And they say good help is hard to find." Lorelai quipped.

"That's just gossip."

"Gossip? The man was shot thirty-five times. He looks like a sprinkler system." Lorelai said handing her mother the paper.

"I can't believe this!" Emily said reading it. "Shauna was always such a nice girl. She was bright, cultured, well-spoken."

"And apparently a big Annie Oakley fan." Lorelai joked.

"This is not funny, the woman committed a crime." Emily said.

"Ok, fine."

"This is a tragedy."

"My bad, sorry." Lorelai said.

"A man is dead, a young woman ruined."

"Consider the subject dropped."

"At least she had a husband to kill." Emily commented after a moment.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Lorelai said smiling sweetly at Rory.

* * *

The following morning Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were sat at a table at Luke's having breakfast.

"Bless you." Rory said as Lorelai sneezed.

"Thank you. Urgh, I hate having a cold!" She whined.

"We know you do." Rory said.

"Urgh, it's bad enough being sick, but anybody can have a cold!" Lorelai groaned.

"We know they can." Rory said.

"I mean, I'd like to have a good illness, something different and impressive. Just once I'd like to be able to say, "Yeah, I'm not feeling so good, my leg is haunted."" She said.

"See, there's a reason why you only take one packet of TheraFlu at a time." Charlotte smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Lorelai groaned.

Just then Luke brought their food over. "Alright, two lots of pancakes, two fried eggs, two sides of bacon." He said setting the food down in front of Charlotte and Rory. "Chicken noodle soup, side of mashed potatoes." He said placing it in front of Lorelai.

"Thanks, Luke!" Charlotte smiled tucking into her food.

"Thanks." Lorelai said.

"How's the cold coming?" Luke asked.

"It's fine." She said.

"Any better?"

"It's fine." Lorelai repeated.

"It's the third day in a row you've ordered soup for breakfast." Luke pointed out.

"Oh, thanks for the tally." Lorelai said.

"You know what helps get rid of a cold?" Luke said.

"I want to say a kiss but even I know that's the wrong answer." Lorelai joked. "How about endless vague questioning first thing in the morning?"

"A healthy immune system." Luke continued.

"Damn. My second guess." Lorelai said.

"And you know how you get a healthy immune system?"

"Remember when we weren't dating and you couldn't care less? That was fun, wasn't it?" She joked.

"Is it eating nothing but crap all day and blowing out your brain cells with coffee?" Luke smirked.

"No." Rory said.

"That's right, no." Luke said.

"Why are you helping him?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"No seemed like the right answer." Rory shrugged.

"No is the right answer." Charlotte nodded.

"Eat a vegetable now and then, maybe some high fibre cereal in the morning." Luke said.

"Listen, Grandpa, my soup's getting cold."

"At least eat the carrots in the soup this time, not just the noodles." Luke sighed.

"I promise." Lorelai said. Luke nodded and went to walk away. "Hey Luke?" She said.

"Yeah?" He said turning back.

"Thanks for caring." Lorelai smiled softly.

Luke smiled. "I'll always care." He replied before disappearing into the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled and turned back to the table where Charlotte and Rory were smirking at her. "What?" She said.

"Nothing." Charlotte smirked.

"No, nothing at all." Rory grinned.

"Eat your food." She grumbled, knowing they were teasing her.

Charlotte finished her food before anyone else. "Right I'm off. I'll see you later." She smiled walking up to the counter where Jess had appeared and was reading a book.

"Hey." Charlotte smiled.

"Hey." Jess said leaning in to give her a kiss.

"So?" Charlotte said.

"One sec." He said flicking through his book.

"Jess!" Charlotte laughed.

"Relax." He smirked. He glanced down the counter where Luke was. "I'm out." He said before turning to Charlotte. "Let's go."

"Ok." Charlotte grinned and she followed him out of the diner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, an entire conversation in ten words or less." Lorelai joked.

"A true meeting of the minds." Rory smirked.

Just then Tristan walked in and headed towards their table. "Ok, so...uh...please don't hate me, but I already ate breakfast." He said.

"See, nice full sentences." Rory grinned.

"What?" Tristan said confused.

"Don't ruin it." Lorelai grinned.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory awoke the next morning to find Lorelai sat in the chair in their room staring at them.

"Geez, how long have you been sitting there?" Charlotte groaned sleepily.

"Not long. An hour...and a half." She said.

"Why?" Rory asked.

"Because."

"Because why?" Rory asked.

"Because today is the last first day of high school you're ever going to have." Lorelai said.

"You're insane." Charlotte said.

"I'm not insane, I'm just sentimental, and you're both grown." Lorelai said.

"We're not grown." Rory rolled her eyes getting out of bed.

"Yes, you are. You're both grown up and soon you'll be going off into the world." Lorelai said dramatically.

"Not yet." Charlotte said.

"But soon. And after you spread those wings and fly away, I won't have the opportunity to give you this." Lorelai said handing them both a piece of paper.

"What is it?" Rory asked.

"It's your bill." Lorelai said.

"Our what?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows wondering why their mom was acting so crazy today.

"Yeah. I've been crunching the numbers, you know, adding up what you've cost me over the years, raising you, clothing you, feeding you and stuff..." Lorelai continued.

"Mmm..." Rory said getting ready for school.

"Yes, I've itemised everything here by years and income ratio. I thought you could factor it into your student loan." Lorelai grinned.

"Oh boy." Rory said.

"One thing that's painfully obvious here is that you've used an extraordinary number of diapers..."

"Or our mother has gone insane." Charlotte commented.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Rory said.

"Really, it's cost a fortune. What were you using all those diapers for?" Lorelai said.

"We were building our 'make Mommy go away' castle." Rory joked.

"Alright, you got home too late last night and I didn't get a chance to talk to you." Lorelai admitted.

"Ah I knew there was a reason you were acting more crazy than usual." Charlotte smirked.

"I got home at ten last night and you were already asleep." Rory pointed out.

"Well, I was trying to watch The Legend of Bagger Vance again." Lorelai shrugged.

"Ok, so what did we miss?" Rory asked.

"Ok. Kirk asked me out." Lorelai admitted.

"Shut up!" Rory laughed.

"Yesterday he came to the inn and asked me to dinner." Lorelai said.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Charlotte grinned.

"Sweet?" Lorelai said confused.

"You should wear your dress with the ponies on it. I bet he likes ponies." Rory teased.

"Girls, I can't go out with Kirk!" She exclaimed.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"Uh...may I remind you that I'm dating Luke? And if Luke finds out, I'm pretty sure he would ban Kirk from the diner for life." She said.

"Aw poor Kirk!" Charlotte smirked.

"You never know, Luke might not mind." Rory smirked.

"Girls!" Lorelai exclaimed but then she saw them laughing. "That's not funny." She grumbled.

"Sorry but how else would we get our entertainment?" Charlotte grinned.

"Why don't you just tell Kirk the truth?" Rory said.

"Because Luke and I have only been dating a week. We didn't want it out yet." Lorelai sighed.

"But surely this is different. He would understand you telling Kirk." Rory said.

"I guess...but I feel so bad. Kirk was so...serious asking me." Lorelai said.

"You'll find a way to let him down gently, don't worry." Charlotte said.

"I guess." Lorelai sighed.

"So you have your swearing in ceremony today?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"At three, do not be late." Rory warned.

"I won't be late." Lorelai said.

"Ok, I have something to tell you now." Rory admitted.

"What?"

"It's about Grandma."

"What?" Lorelai groaned dreading the answer.

"She's coming today." Rory admitted.

"No!" Lorelai groaned. She looked at Charlotte.

"Hey, don't look at me. She invited her." Charlotte said gesturing to Rory.

"Mom, I'm sorry. She found out about it, she called...I couldn't keep it from her." Rory said. "She's my grandmother."

"So?"

"You'll be sitting there listening to the ceremony, you hardly have to talk at all. Plus you'll have Charlotte with you." Rory said. "Please mom!"

"Urgh fine! But you owe me!" Lorelai warned.

"Sure. I'm going to take a shower. See you later." Rory said going off to the bathroom.

Lorelai pouted at Charlotte. "You could have stopped her."

"How? It's Rory." Charlotte said. "Look, I'm not that keen on seeing Grandma but it means a lot to Rory so let's just try and get through it without any bad words exchanged. For Rory's sake."

"When did you get so grown up?" Lorelai pouted.

"Guess it comes from going to a private school." Charlotte joked.

* * *

Lorelai walked through the door at Luke's the following day, dreading what was about to happen. She couldn't believe she had agreed to meet her mother for lunch, especially here. She hadn't told her parents about Luke yet and she wasn't planning on doing so in the near future. She already knew what they would say so there was no point.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Luke asked coming up to her as she looked around to see if her mother was already there.

"Ah, I came for the warmth. Too bad my boyfriend's not here." She teased.

"Sorry." Luke smirked. "You're just not usually here this time of day, that's all."

"Well, I'm meeting someone for lunch." Lorelai said.

"Oh, Kirk?" He asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Are you meeting Kirk?"

"Why would you say that?" Lorelai said.

"Well, I know he asked you out so I just assumed." He smirked.

"What? How do you know he asked me out?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"He told me." Luke smirked.

"He told you?"

"Yesterday." He nodded.

"Oh my god." Lorelai groaned.

"Hey, relax, I think it's great." He teased.

"You do?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, actually, he came to me for a little advice about whether or not I thought he had a shot with you. After all, I know you, I've been to your house, I know whether or not you have stain resistant rugs." Luke teased.

"Ok, you can stop now." Lorelai scowled at him. "I can't believe you were in on it!"

"Sorry." Luke smirked. "How are you going to let him down?"

"Who says I'm going to let him down?" She said, her turn to tease.

"What?" He said.

"You're too easy." Lorelai smirked. "Relax, I intend on turning him down. I'm happy with what I've got."

"Good." Luke smiled giving her a quick kiss when he saw that no townspeople were around. "So who are you meeting?"

"My mother." She groaned.

"Your mother?" Luke questioned surprised.

"Don't ask." She sighed.

"Ok." He said.

After finding a table and sitting down, Emily soon arrived and joined her.

"I'm sorry I'm late, there was a little traffic on the way." She said.

"I haven't been here that long." Lorelai said.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So, are you going to sit?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Emily said, going to sit down but then stopping before taking a wipe out of her bag and wiping the seat. "There we go." She said. "Well, this is nice. You certainly can see the whole town from here, can't you?"

"Yes, you can." Lorelai nodded.

"I can see why you come here so much. It must be fun to just sit and people watch. Well, let's see what they've got, shall we?" Emily said opening the menu. "Oh, Caesar salad, is that good here?"

"Uh, I'm sure it is."

"You've never had it?"

"No." Lorelai said.

"Has Rory?"

"No."

"Charlotte?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Well, Caesar salads can be extremely unsafe if they use bad eggs." Emily said.

"Get something else."

"Of course, if they're coddled, it would be fine. Do you know if they coddle the eggs here?" She asked.

"I have no idea." Lorelai said.

"You don't know? You come here every day."

"Why don't you ask Luke if they're coddled?"

"Oh, he'll just say they are. I'll have a Cobb salad. What are you going to have?"

"A Caesar salad with extra uncoddled eggs on the side." Lorelai joked.

"Really, Lorelai, would a serious answer once in a while kill you?" Emily sighed.

"Sorry, Mom. Honestly, I'm a little confused." She said.

"About what?"

"About this."

"What's confusing? We're having lunch." Emily said.

"I know we're having lunch, but we don't usually have lunch, especially not in my town at Luke's Diner." Lorelai pointed out.

"I just figured you had to work, it'd be easier on you this way."

"Ok, that's fine, if I..." Lorelai started but just then Luke walked up to the table.

"You two ready to order?" He asked.

"Yes. How is your Caesar salad dressing prepared?" Emily asked.

"I'll have to call Paul Newman and ask him." Luke said dryly, causing Lorelai to stifle a smirk.

"A Cobb salad and an iced tea." Emily said stiffly.

"Cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and a cherry coke." Lorelai smiled up at him.

"Any pie today?" He asked.

"Hmm, no thanks." Lorelai said.

"Cutting back a little, huh? Trying to look good for the big day. Smart, very smart." Luke teased.

"Hey, make sure you check that frying oil with your face." Lorelai smiled sweetly at him.

Luke smirked and walked away.

"What was that all about?" Emily asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little small town charm. Now, please, Mom, tell me, why did you ask me to lunch?"

"Because I wanted to spend some time alone with my daughter."

"Mom..."

"Well, Rory and Charlotte drop by after school every now and then, so we see them alone." Emily said. "Although Charlotte's angry at me at the moment."

"She'll come round." Lorelai sighed. "Word of advice though? Stop talking about Jess and she'll be fine."

"Fine." Emily huffed. "Anyway, we never see you alone...unless Rory and Charlotte leave the room for a second, and even then you try to go with them. If I had a nickel for every time you've used the 'Girls always go to the bathroom together, Mom' line, I'd be a very rich woman."

"You are a very rich woman. Mom, please, is this really a 'me and you' lunch? No hidden agenda?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course not."

"Ok, fine." Lorelai said.

"I talked to Christopher." Emily said.

"What?" Lorelai asked surprised, not expecting that.

"I called him last week, we talked for a very long time, and I have to tell you, he wants to be a family with you and the girls."

"Oh my god." Lorelai said.

"He never came out and said it, but I could tell from his voice. He's ready to be a family with you. All you need to do is let him in."

"Are you out of your mind?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I think you need to talk to him."

"And that would be a yes."

"All he needs is to hear that you want this, too." Emily said.

"Mom, what the hell are you doing calling Christopher? I have nothing to say with him and I definitely don't want to be with him after the stunt he pulled." Lorelai said angrily.

"Well, somebody had to. You're being stubborn as always. You're holding a grudge over one little mistake he made. And you've passed that trait down to Charlotte as well." Emily said.

"Mom, this is none of your business." Lorelai said.

"Yes, it is! It affects Rory and Charlotte, it affects you! All of you are my business!"

"Do not get involved in this, I mean it. Butt out! Don't call Christopher and talk about me or us, just stay out of it!" Lorelai said angrily, getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get back to the inn." Lorelai said.

"Do not walk out on me."

"Mom, I am not going to discuss this with you now or ever. I would love for you to respect that but I know you, so give Christopher my love." She said sarcastically.

"A family life doesn't just happen, Lorelai. You have to work for it. You have to fight for it. Lorelai, come back here!" Emily exclaimed but Lorelai ignored her and left the diner.

"Yeah and I've found that family life." Lorelai muttered to herself as she walked away from the diner.

* * *

The next Friday Night Dinner was one Lorelai was not looking forward to. They were sat at the dining room eating their food a bit earlier than usual because Emily had a new maid and she was doing everything wrong.

"Ok, so salad?" Sarah, the maid, asked.

"Thank you, Sarah." Emily sighed.

Just then, the doorbell went again and Sarah disappeared to answer it along with the plates of salad that she was still holding.

"Sarah, the salad! Sarah!" Emily called after her, exasperated. "Pass the wine, Lorelai." She sighed.

"You want a straw with that?" Lorelai smirked.

"You're enjoying this." Emily glared at her daughter.

"Well...yeah." Lorelai grinned.

"I think it's nice you're giving the maid a chance, Grandma." Charlotte said.

Emily looked at Charlotte in surprise, partly because she was actually talking to her and also because she'd actually said something nice. She saw her granddaughter give her a small smile and realised this was her olive branch. She reciprocated the smile. "Thank you, Charlotte." She said softly.

Just then, Chris walked in. "Lor, I need to talk to you." He said.

"Chris, what are you doing here?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You won't return my calls!" He exclaimed.

"Did you do this?" Lorelai asked Emily angrily.

"I knew you'd be here." Chris said.

"I didn't do this." Emily said.

"You gave me no choice!" Chris said.

"After I told you to just stay out of it!" Lorelai said angrily to her mother.

"Lorelai, I didn't do this!" Emily exclaimed.

"You have to go." Lorelai said seeing Charlotte's cold glare. She got up and left the room.

"I'm not going until you talk to me." Chris said following her through to the hallway.

"Why won't you call me back? I've left you so many messages!" Chris exclaimed.

"Hey, there couldn't be a worst time to have this conversation." Lorelai said.

"Really, because it seems to be the only time to have this conversation." Chris said.

"And why do you think I haven't wanted to talk to you?" Lorelai said angrily. "Look, go home, ok? I promise I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Well, sure, I believe that." He said sarcastically.

"You know you don't really have the right to question my choices." She said angrily. "After what you pulled..."

"Look, I know what I did was wrong ok?" Chris said. "I admit it, I shouldn't have done it. But I was looking out for Charlotte and I had to say something to get Jess away. I was being her dad for once!" He exclaimed.

"You've really got no idea have you?" Lorelai said shaking her head. "I told you that night that it was an accident. Jess loves Charlotte. He wouldn't ever want to hurt her. Yes they shouldn't have been in the car but kids make mistakes. They were bored so went for a drive. It's hardly the crime of the century."

"I was trying to protect Charlotte..." Chris tried weakly.

"No you weren't!" Charlotte said angrily appearing in the hallway with Rory. "You were being selfish. You were feeling guilty about not being there for us in the past and not being a dad to us that you decided to try and prove you were by sending Jess away. Those two weeks were the worst two weeks of my life, dad!" She exclaimed angrily, with tears pricking her eyes. "I thought Jess just bailed on me, I thought he never really loved me and our relationship had just been a joke. Do you know how that made me feel? I felt worthless, dad! Worthless! And then I find out that the reason I had gone through two weeks of hell was because of you! You say you were protecting me. That's a joke. You broke me, dad."

"Ok, honey, calm down." Lorelai said softly.

"You promised me. You stood there and promised me at Sookie's wedding that this was going to work, that you were going to be there. You stood there and lied to my face."

"I didn't lie." Chris tried.

"Yes you did. You knew you'd sent Jess away. But you didn't care because you thought you were finally going to get the one thing you'd always wanted. Mom. You don't care about me or Rory. You just want mom." Charlotte said.

"Honey, please..." Chris said. He glanced at Rory to try and appeal to her forgiving nature but was met by the same cold glare.

"We always forgive you. No matter how many times you let us down, we still forgave you because we loved you and we wanted you to be there." Rory said. "But you went too far this time. And you know it. We don't need you anymore. We've got mom. That's all we need."

"Please..." He begged.

"I'm going upstairs. Are you coming?" She asked her sister.

Charlotte nodded. "I don't want to talk to you ever again. Stop calling, stop leaving messages, stop sending emails. Just stop!" She said to her dad. "Call us when he's gone." She told her mom before following Rory upstairs.

Christopher sighed. "I just wanted to talk, to apologise." He said.

"Yeah, well it's a little soon for that." Lorelai said crossing her arms against her chest.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I don't want things to be like they are between us." Chris said.

"I'm not ready!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Why not?" Chris exclaimed.

"Because it hurts, Chris! It really hurts just seeing you! Don't you understand? I thought we were finally about to become a real family and then I find out what you'd done behind all of our backs!" Lorelai exclaimed, feeling tears in her eyes too.

"Christopher. I think you should go now." Emily said appearing.

"Emily, I..." Chris tried.

"Leave now. Please." Emily said.

Christopher sighed but reluctantly left after glancing at Lorelai who was avoiding his gaze.

"You know, you need a mask and a horse when you do that." Lorelai told her mom quietly.

Emily gave her daughter a small smile. She suddenly looked panicked. "Something's burning!" She said before rushing to the kitchen.

Lorelai glanced at the front door and bit her lip. She then slowly opened it and went outside. She found Chris sitting on his motorcycle ready to leave.

"Chris? Just...just give it time." She said quietly.

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?" He asked.

"Rory will come round." Lorelai said. "But you really hurt Charlotte. You're going to really need to show you're sorry for her to talk to you. I'm sorry, but you got yourself into this."

"I know." He said quietly. He glanced at Lorelai. "Sherry's pregnant." He admitted.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked.

Chris sighed. "I got a call from her after I left the wedding and she told me."

"Wow..." Lorelai said. "So...are you and her...?"

"I don't know." Chris said. "But I want to do it right this time. I want to be there for this kid. I know I've been a bad dad to Charlotte and Rory. That's why I want to do it right this time."

"Well...that's good." Lorelai said quietly, not really knowing what to say.

"Will it always be like this between us?" Chris asked sadly.

"I don't know." Lorelai admitted. "I trusted you, Chris. And you took that trust away. It will take me time to get that trust back."

"Yeah, I get that." Chris sighed.

"Just...give it some time." Lorelai said quietly.

Chris just nodded and started revving up his motorcycle.

"Hey Chris?" She said.

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations." She said quietly, giving him a small smile.

He gave her a sad smile before riding off, leaving Lorelai behind watching him disappear from sight.

* * *

"Well, now, that was a fun night." Lorelai commented as the three of them walked through Stars Hollow after the dinner.

"Yup." Charlotte said.

"I haven't had that much fun since labour." Lorelai joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ba dum bum." Rory said.

"But seriously, ladies and gentlemen, is this on?" Lorelai said.

"I can't believe he just came over." Charlotte said.

"He misses you." Lorelai said.

"You can't possibly be defending him." Charlotte exclaimed.

"I'm not." Lorelai said quickly. She saw her daughter frown at her. "I'm not, honest." She said. "I just...he knows he did wrong ok?"

"I don't care. He shouldn't just turn up and expect us to talk to him." Charlotte scowled.

"Hey, look, I'm angry at him too." Lorelai said. "I'm just saying..."

Charlotte sighed. "Sorry." She said.

"Did he tell you about Sherry?" Rory asked cautiously.

"Wait, you two know about that?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"He sent us an email." Charlotte admitted. "I didn't reply, I don't intend on replying but I pressed on it by accident and...well, I know now."

"It doesn't change anything, you know. He's still your dad too." Lorelai said.

"I honestly don't care. He can go be somebody else's dad. I just hope for this kid's sake that he's a better bad to them than he has been to us." Charlotte grumbled.

"Sweets..." Lorelai said softly.

Charlotte sighed. "I just...I don't want to talk about him anymore. I just...I can't forgive him yet."

"Fair enough." Lorelai said softly.

"I'm going to go meet Jess. I'll see you at home." She said walking off.

Rory glanced at her mom. "So what did dad say?"

"That he knows what he did was wrong and that he just wanted to come and talk and apologise." Lorelai said.

Rory sighed. "He really hurt her. I've never seen her so against dad like this before."

"I know." Lorelai said. She glanced at Rory. "And how are you feeling?"

"About dad?"

"About everything." Lorelai said.

She shrugged. "I believe he probably knows what he did was wrong. It doesn't mean we have to forgive him straight away."

"True." Lorelai said.

"I don't know...I think I just need to take some time." Rory said quietly.

"That's perfectly fine." Lorelai smiled at her daughter.

Rory smiled back at her and they continued walking down the street when they heard a familiar voice.

"Lorelai!" Kirk said.

"Oh no..." Lorelai said.

"Good luck." Rory smirked slightly.

Kirk walked up to them.

"Hey Kirk." Lorelai smiled.

"Lorelai, I know you haven't made up your mind yet and I'm not here for an answer. I just need to know, are you allergic to tuna?" He asked.

"Uh, no." Lorelai said.

"No. Good. Thank you very much." He said turning to walk away.

"Wait Kirk? I have made up my mind." She said.

"You have?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Already?"

"Yes."

"And it's fully formed?" He asked.

"Yes, it is." Lorelai said.

"You don't need any other information?"

"No, I don't." Lorelai said. She sighed. "Look, Kirk, I'm flattered. I really am but I'm actually involved with someone. I don't want to hurt you because you're my friend and I like you but I think what I have at the moment could really be something so I have to say no. I'm sorry." She said gently.

"Oh." Kirk said. "Was the tuna inquiry too personal?"

"Oh no, I thought that was very thoughtful." She smiled.

"I didn't know you were seeing someone."

"It's pretty new." Lorelai said.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Ok now that is too personal." Lorelai joked.

"Oh. Sorry." Kirk said.

Lorelai saw Kirk looking downhearted and felt bad. "It's Luke." She admitted.

"Luke? As in Luke from Luke's diner?" He asked.

"Yes, Luke from Luke's diner." Lorelai smirked.

"Oh." Kirk said surprised.

"We're trying to keep it quiet because it's so new at the moment but I thought you deserved to know." Lorelai said.

"Thank you." He said. He was quiet for a moment and then looked up at her. "At least I asked right?" He said.

Lorelai smiled. "Right." She said softly.

"Goodnight Lorelai." He said.

"Night Kirk." Lorelai said watching him walk away.

"You do know the whole town is going to know about you and Luke by the morning." Rory smirked.

"Oh god, Luke's going to hate me!" Lorelai groaned as they continued walking down the street.

"Nah he won't. You were right. Kirk deserved to know. I thought you let him down really gently." Rory said sincerely.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. He didn't seem upset." Rory smiled.

"I guess not." Lorelai said.

Just then they heard laughter from across the square. They looked across and saw Charlotte and Jess sat in the gazebo and Charlotte was laughing at something Jess had said.

"He always seems to cheer her up, doesn't he?" Rory commented.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said watching them. "Yeah he does."

Rory smiled at her mom and they continued walking, leaving Charlotte to hang out with Jess.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 17

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory went into the diner for their usual breakfast, deep in conversation.

"Ok, but think about it. Why do we need the word potty? Is it really that much harder for a kid to learn the word bathroom?" Lorelai said.

"I don't know." Rory said as they sat down at a table.

"Why are we even still talking about this?" Charlotte asked.

"If you say, "Timmy, do you have to go potty?" or "Timmy, do you have to go to the bathroom?" you can see it's interchangeable." Lorelai continued.

"Not exactly interchangeable." Rory commented.

"Why are you encouraging her?" Charlotte asked Rory.

Rory just grinned at her sister and then turned back to their mom. "To go potty is an action. To go to the bathroom is to go into a specific place."

"I hate the word potty." Lorelai screwed up her face.

"Well, what did you teach us to say?" Rory asked.

"Bathroom, obviously."

"You did?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, of course." Lorelai nodded.

"Ok so we're 2, we come up to you and say, "Mommy, mommy, I have to go to the..."" Rory said.

"The room where legends die." Lorelai grinned.

"What can I get you?" Luke asked walking up to the table with his pad in his hand.

"A foster home." Charlotte said.

"You'll thank me one day." Lorelai grinned and then turned to Luke. "Hi." She grinned.

"I'm working." Luke said.

"Oh come on! This is the beginning of a relationship. You're supposed to act stupid." Lorelai said.

"I'll do the chicken dance on my lunch break." Luke said. He turned to Charlotte and Rory. "Your usual?"

"Yes please!" Charlotte grinned and Rory nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe you won't flirt with me in front of my daughters. They're going to think there's something wrong with me." Lorelai said.

"Please! We got that confirmation letter a long time ago." Charlotte smirked.

"I'll have pancakes." Lorelai pouted. "You're all mean."

"Coming right up." Luke said with a slight smirk and as he walked away he gestured to Lorelai to follow him.

"I'll be back in a second." Lorelai told her daughters before going up to the counter. "You gestured?"

"Those jeans are really working for you." Luke said pouring her some coffee.

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked.

"They're working for me, too." He smirked.

"You're flirting with me!" Lorelai grinned, her face lighting up.

"Something like that." Luke said gruffly.

"Finally! Do it some more." She grinned.

"Your shoes work well with that...shirt." Luke said trailing off at the end.

"Gee, Carson, thanks." Lorelai laughed.

"That's all I can do right now. People are watching." Luke said.

"Oh they all know anyway!" Lorelai shrugged.

"Yes because someone decided to tell the town's worst blabbermouth." Luke said glancing up at her.

"Ok I've apologised numerous times for that!"

Luke smirked. "I know." He said.

"So flirt with me!" Lorelai grinned.

"Not now." He said. "But tonight I will give you my extremely positive views on other aspects of your being."

"Tonight?"

"Are you free?"

"Yeah, I'm free." Lorelai nodded.

"Good. 7:30?" Luke asked.

"What are we going to do?"

"I've got some thoughts."

"Ok but please no taking me to an art museum after hours and then to an empty Hollywood bowl where you give me a pair of diamond earrings that you bought with your college money when all the time you're really in love with your best friend, the drummer, who's posing as our driver for the evening." Lorelai said.

Luke glanced up at her, raising his eyebrows. "Ok I'll think of something else." He said dryly.

"Great!" Lorelai grinned. "Are you going to watch me walk away?" She teased.

"Yeah." He said.

"I'll add a little jaunt to it for you." She teased before strutting back to Charlotte and Rory, glancing back before sitting down.

"What was that all about?" Rory asked.

"We were just talking about our date for tonight." Lorelai said not being able to keep the giddy smile off her face.

"A real date? Finally!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Yeah, finally." Lorelai smiled.

"What are you going to wear?" Rory asked.

"Mmm, glass slippers, a backwards baseball cap..." She listed.

"And nothing else." Rory nodded.

"Exactly." Lorelai joked.

"Aw mom, we're really excited for you!" Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Lorelai smiled.

Luke then came over to them with their food. "Hot plates." He said.

"See? He called me 'Hot Plates'. He soooo likes me." Lorelai grinned.

"Oh geez..." Luke sighed before walking off.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte and Rory were in their mom's room helping her get ready for her date with Luke.

"Why is it that I have no clothes to wear? I thought I had lots of clothes but no, nothing goes! Nothing!" Lorelai exclaimed, taking clothes out of her wardrobe and dumping them on her bed.

"You have clothes. You have plenty of clothes, mom." Rory tried to calm her down.

"No I don't. None of these work. None of them!" She exclaimed.

"You're freaking." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm not freaking!" Lorelai protested.

"You are a bit." Rory said.

Lorelai let out a big sigh. "I'm sorry. I just want..."

"To look nice. We know. And you will." Rory reassured her.

"Yeah, how about these jeans with this top?" Charlotte said holding up a nice lightly coloured top.

"Yeah and you can wear your new brown jacket with it." Rory nodded.

"Ok how did you do that?" Lorelai said.

"Because we're amazing, that's how." Charlotte grinned.

"Ok, now change!" Rory said.

"Ok." Lorelai grinned. "So what are your plans this evening?" She asked as she started changing.

"Hanging out with Tristan and Jess." Rory said.

"Oh. Are they coming here?" Lorelai asked.

"No, we're going to go to the Black, White and Red Theatre." Charlotte said. "Sort of like a double date."

"Oh that'll be nice." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, Jess hasn't been there yet." Charlotte said.

"And we thought it might be nice to let Tristan and Jess spend some time together. They don't really know each other that well." Rory said.

"Sounds like a good idea." Lorelai said. "So...what do you think?" She asked getting the top on.

"Great!" Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah you look lovely, mom." Rory smiled.

"Really?" Lorelai asked just as the doorbell rang.

"Well it's too late now." Charlotte joked.

"I really look ok?" Lorelai asked.

"Ror, you stop the freak out. I'll go let Luke in." Charlotte smirked, heading downstairs. She opened the front door to find Luke in some smart trousers and a nicely ironed shirt, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hey Luke!" She smiled.

"Oh. Hey Charlotte." Luke said awkwardly.

"Come on in. Mom's just coming." Charlotte said letting him in.

"Ok. Thanks." He said following her into the living room.

"You'll soon learn that if you agree a time, you should really come half an hour after that time." Charlotte joked.

Luke smirked slightly. "Duly noted. Thanks."

Just then Lorelai came down, followed by Rory. "Hey." Lorelai smiled nervously at Luke.

"Hey." Luke smiled just as nervously. "Wow. You look...beautiful." He said.

Lorelai blushed. "Really?" She said. "Well you don't look so bad yourself."

There was a sudden obviously faked cough next to them where Charlotte and Rory were stood stifling a smirk.

"Uh...these are for you." Luke said handing Lorelai the flowers, obviously embarrassed with Charlotte and Rory watching.

"Thanks. They're beautiful." Lorelai smiled softly. She handed them to Charlotte. "Quit embarrassing Luke will you and make yourself useful and find a vase for this." She said.

Charlotte just grinned, taking the flowers.

"So...shall we?" Luke asked gesturing to the door.

"Yeah." Lorelai smiled. "Right, you two have fun and I'll see you later."

"You too." Rory smiled.

"Hey Luke?" Charlotte called as they headed towards the door.

"Yeah?" Luke said turning round.

"Have her back by 11!" Charlotte and Rory both grinned in unison.

* * *

Luke drove Lorelai to a resturant just out of town.

"Oh, wow. Very nice." Lorelai commented as they walked in.

"This way, please." Luke said gently guiding her towards a table. "Your table, Miss." He said.

"Oh. Why, thank you, sir." Lorelai grinned. "Weren't we supposed to let someone who works here seat us?"

"Not necessary."

" Why? Is this like a Mafia thing?" Lorelai joked.

"What?"

"The whole coming in, special table, reserved sign. Are you going to have to whack someone before the soup course?"

"No, I've filled my whacking quota for the week." Luke said before cringing. "Dirty?" He said.

"Extremely." Lorelai grinned, glad that the awkwardness was starting to go between them.

"Thought so." Luke chuckled.

"Lucas!" An older woman suddenly exclaimed, coming up to the table with a menu.

"How you doing, Maisy?" Luke smiled getting up and giving her a hug.

"You just seat yourself now?" She teased.

"I told him!" Luke said.

"We run a nice place here, Lucas, not like that hash joint of yours." Maisy said with a twinkle in her eye. "And this must be your young lady. Hello, there. I'm Maisy."

"Hi. I'm Lorelai. I love your place." Lorelai smiled shaking her hand.

After introducing Lorelai to Buddy, Maisy's husband, and having ordered, they settled down with some champagne and waited for their food to come.

"So they're nice." Lorelai smiled. "And they know you!"

"Actually, I come here two, three times a week. Breakfast, dinner, whenever I have the time." Luke admitted. "Maisy and Buddy were good friends with my parents. Maisy went to school with my mother actually and Buddy helped me a lot with the diner when I was just starting out."

"Aw that's nice." Lorelai smiled, knowing how much Luke missed his parents. "It must be nice having a link to your parents like that."

"Yeah." Luke said quietly.

Lorelai noticed his expression and quickly changed the subject. "Charlie and Rory would love this place." She said looking around.

"Well then we should all come one day." Luke suggested.

"Really?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Yeah. I'd love for them to meet Maisy and Buddy and I've been meaning to bring Jess here as well. The last time they saw him was when he was a baby." Luke said.

"Well then, I agree. Let's all go someday." Lorelai smiled softly.

"It's a plan." Luke smiled, sipping his champagne but then his smile turned into a grimace.

"Not a fan of champagne?" Lorelai smirked.

"Definitely not a fan." Luke chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Stars Hollow, Tristan, Rory, Charlotte and Jess all walked into the Black, White and Red Movie Theatre.

"Hello?" Rory called.

"Are they open?" Charlotte asked.

"The sign said they were." Rory said. "Hello?"

Kirk suddenly jumped up from the sofa where he was sleeping. "I have a gun!" He exclaimed.

"Chill out, Kirk. We're here for the movie." Charlotte said rolling her eyes.

"You were supposed to pay out front." Kirk said.

"You weren't out front." Rory said. "Here's $20."

"That's too much." He said.

"Keep the change." Rory said.

"You can get in 16 more people for that."

"Put it towards the popcorn." Charlotte smirked before they all looked to find somewhere to sit.

"Ok, I don't think I will ever get used to this town." Tristan joked.

"Welcome to my world." Jess smirked.

"Ooh, let's take Big Red!" Charlotte exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, Big Red!" Rory exclaimed.

"I'm assuming that's the big red sofa in front of us." Tristan said.

"Yeah, it's the comfiest seat!" Rory grinned. "Come on, let's sit!"

Rory and Charlotte sat in the middle while Tristan and Jess sat at the ends next to their girlfriends.

"I love how empty it is! It means we can talk!" Charlotte grinned looking round at the empty theatre.

"Would it have stopped you even if there were other people here?" Jess smirked.

"Probably not! But at least I won't feel guilty now!" Charlotte grinned.

Just then, Kirk walked to the front of the room. "Hello, everybody, and welcome to the 'Black, White, and Red Theatre'. How are we all doing tonight?" He asked.

"Just peachy." Jess said sarcastically.

"We're good, Kirk. How are you?" Charlotte smiled.

"Good." He said. "I'm Kirk..."

"Yeah we know that already." Jess said.

"Shhh!" Rory and Charlotte shushed him together.

Jess leant over to Tristan. "Word of advice, I don't think we should talk during this experience." He smirked.

Tristan chuckled. "Yeah I think you're right."

"Kirk, go on." Charlotte said giving Jess a look, who put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Ok. I'm very proud to announce that tonight's feature presentation is the classic 'Cool Hand Luke'." He said causing Rory and Charlotte to cheer. "But I'm deeply sorry to report that the first reel of the movie inexplicably caught fire earlier this evening."

"Bummer." Tristan commented.

"How will we live?" Jess smirked.

"Shhhh!" Rory and Charlotte exclaimed again together, causing the boys to smirk at each other.

"This sucks!" Charlotte pouted.

"I can still show you the film, but you'd miss the first 25 minutes. I'd be happy to recap what you'd miss, or even act it out for you. I must say, I do a wicked George Kennedy." Kirk said.

"What do you guys think?" Rory asked Tristan and Jess.

"Are we allowed to talk now?" Tristan smirked.

"Oh stop sulking and tell me what you think." Rory rolled her eyes.

"First 25 minutes are pretty important." Tristan said.

"I agree." Jess said.

"But having Kirk reenact things can be pretty disturbing." Charlotte pointed out. "What are your other options, Kirk?"

"I can offer you anything from the theatre's library of films." He said.

"What have you got?" Rory asked.

"A series of graphically violent driver's education films or 'The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking'."

"Pippi!" Rory exclaimed.

"Yes Pippi! We have to watch Pippi!" Charlotte grinned excitedly.

"Pippi Longstocking it is. Enjoy your film." Kirk said before leaving.

"How long has it been since we've seen Pippi Longstocking?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"Way too long." Charlotte said.

"It's got to be one of our most watched films ever." Rory commented.

"Oh, definitely!" Charlotte nodded, agreeing.

"I've seen it at least three times with you two." Jess said.

"You have?" Tristan asked.

"Under duress." Jess smirked.

"Ah." Tristan smirked. "Isn't it some kind of kids movie though?" He asked.

Rory and Charlotte both whipped their heads round in Tristan's direction.

"Oops." Jess smirked.

"Wait a minute. Have you never seen this movie?" Rory asked.

"Uh...no..." Tristan admitted.

"We've got us a Pippi virgin." Rory exclaimed.

"I didn't think there were any left." Charlotte said seriously.

"And it's not a kids movie." Rory told Tristan.

"It's a classic of surrealism." Charlotte said.

"And bizarre cinematography." Rory added.

"And atonal singing."

"And forced acting."

"And 4, 3, 2, 1..." Jess smirked before the room darkened and the movie started with the theme song which Rory and Charlotte started to sing along with. He smirked over at Tristan. "They get even crazier here in Stars Hollow."

"Yeah I'm starting to learn that." Tristan chuckled.

"Yeah but you love us anyway." Charlotte grinned, snuggling into Jess

"Unbelievably yes." Jess smirked but he kissed her cheek and put his arm round her shoulders.

"Are you glad you're here?" Rory asked Tristan, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Oh I wouldn't have missed this." Tristan joked.

"Good." Rory grinned.

* * *

Back at the resturant, Luke and Lorelai were tucking into their food. Lorelai glanced up at Luke. "Hey, do you remember the first time we met?" She asked.

"What?" He asked.

"I'm just trying to remember the first time we met. It must have been at Luke's, right?" She said.

"It was at Luke's." Luke nodded. "It was at lunch, it was a very busy day, the place was packed and this person..." He said.

"Ooh, is it me? Is it me?" Lorelai grinned.

"This person comes tearing into the place in a caffeine frenzy..." Luke continued.

"Ooh, it is me!" Lorelai exclaimed gleefully.

"I was with a customer. She interrupts me, wild-eyed, begging for coffee, so I tell her to wait her turn. Then she starts following me around, talking a mile a minute, saying god knows what. So finally I turn to her, and I tell her she's being annoying. I tell her to sit down and shut up and that I'll get to her when I get to her." He said.

"You know, I bet she took that very well because she sounds just delightful." Lorelai joked.

"She asked me what my birthday was. I wouldn't tell her. She wouldn't stop talking. I gave in. I told her my birthday. Then she opened up the newspaper to the horoscope page, wrote something down, tore it out, handed it to me." Luke continued. "So I'm looking at this piece of paper in my hand, and under Scorpio, she had written, 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away'. I gave her coffee."

"But she didn't go away." Lorelai grinned.

"She told me to hold on to that horoscope, put it in my wallet, and carry it around with me." He said pulling out his wallet and pulling a piece of paper out of it. "She told me one day it would bring me luck." He said handing over to horoscope to her.

"Well, man, I will say anything for a cup of coffee." Lorelai joked, looking down at the horoscope with her handwriting on it. She glanced up at him. "I can't believe you kept this. You kept this in your wallet." She said softly.

"Eight years." He said.

"Wow...eight years." She said quietly, touched.

Luke gave her a small smile and put the horoscope back into his wallet. He glanced at her.

"Lorelai, this thing we're doing here...me, you...I just want you to know I'm in. I am all in." He said sincerely. "Does that...are you...uh...scared?" He asked.

Lorelai blushed, glancing down at the table before back up at him. "No." She said softly. "It feels...right."

Luke smiled. "Good." He said softly.

"And I'm all in too." She smiled. "Definitely all in."

"Good." Luke smiled.

Lorelai smiled at him before they both slowly went back to eating their food.

* * *

"So did she own that house she lived in before she rode the horse into town or did she buy it with her gold coins?" Tristan asked as the four of them walked into the Crap Shack.

"That's a good question." Rory said.

"Oh yeah, I see a prequel in the works. The Adventures of Pippi in Escrow." Charlotte grinned.

"I'd go see it." Rory grinned.

"They're mocking me, aren't they?" Tristan asked Jess.

"Yup." Jess nodded.

"You know, I think I'm going to like having you around. At least I'm not outnumbered." Tristan smirked.

"Back at you." Jess smirked.

Rory grinned at Charlotte, both glad they seemed to be getting along, before heading to the kitchen. "So, beverages. Shout them out!" She called.

"Just water please!" Charlotte called.

"Coke." Jess said.

"Same for me." Tristan said.

"Coming right up!" Rory called. She appeared back in the living room. "Hey, why don't we play Bop-it?" She suggested.

"Bop-it?" Charlotte said confused. "But that's a game we bring out when we need to save social situations."

"Are you trying to tell us something?" Tristan teased.

"No!" Rory rolled her eyes. "I just thought it could be fun. It can be a fun game too." She said.

"Sure. I'll go get it. Jess and Tristan can go first!" Charlotte grinned going to get it from the closet. "Here. You two first." She said then handing it to Jess.

"Any chance we will be able to get out of this?" Tristan asked Jess.

"Unfortunately no." Jess said.

"Oh come on, you'll love it!" Charlotte grinned.

"Ok it's really straightforward so you two start and then Charlotte and I will play and then the winners of each game will play each other." Rory said.

"I can hardly contain my excitement." Jess said dryly.

"Ok go!" Rory grinned and the boys started playing.

* * *

"So I had fun..." Lorelai smiled as Luke walked her up the porch to her front door.

"Yeah me too." Luke smiled.

"Our first date. It's going to go down in history, I think. I hope you know that you'll have to live up to that date from now on." Lorelai teased.

"Great." Luke said dryly.

Lorelai grinned. "I really did have fun though." She said sincerely. "Thanks for sharing that place with me."

"No one else I'd rather share it with." He said honestly.

Lorelai smiled and leant forward to give him a kiss. "See you tomorrow for breakfast?" She asked.

"I'll be waiting with the coffee." He nodded. "Night Lorelai." He smiled.

"Night Luke." She said softly.

Luke leant forward to give her another kiss before walking back to his truck. Lorelai watched as he drove in and then, smiling giddily, she let herself into the house ready to tell her daughters everything. However, as she went into the living room she found the tv on but Tristan, Rory, Charlotte and Jess all fast asleep on the couch. Rory had her head resting on Tristan's shoulder while Charlotte was in the same position but with Jess. On a normal day, this would freak her out seeing her daughters with boys but she couldn't help but just feel happy tonight after her successful date. She grabbed a blanket and put it over the four of them before heading upstairs herself, taking the phone from its stand on her way up. _'W_ _ell someone had to tell Luke where his nephew was.'_ She thought.

 **Hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I really do appreciate all of them so thank you! :)**


	19. Chapter 18

**Thanks for all your support and reviews so far! I can't believe I'm over 100 reviews! :)**

Chapter 18

Luke, Lorelai, Rory and Charlotte were sat in Miss Patty's listening to Taylor going on about how there were too many birds landing on the street lights and relieving themselves on people.

"You get dumped on, Taylor?" Babette shouted out.

"It's not just me..." Taylor said.

"Hey, if anybody has a picture of Taylor getting dumped on, I'll pay top dollar." Luke said.

"I'll check the internet." Charlotte grinned.

"Taylor, all animals have to...you know. How are you going to stop birds from doing that?" Miss Patty asked.

"Easy. Put sharp metal spikes on the top of the fixtures, then when they land, pow, they're shish-kebabs!" Taylor said.

"That's cruel!" Rory called out.

"You can't do that." Babette said.

"I'd rather have bird crap fall on my head." Andrew nodded agreeing.

"There it is, our new town slogan." Lorelai joked.

"I like it." Rory grinned.

"I see coffee mugs, t-shirts..." Lorelai said.

"Don't forget stuffed shish-kebabbed birds!" Charlotte grinned.

"That moan when you squeeze them..." Lorelai started to say but was interrupted by a man coming through the large sliding door.

"Excuse me." He said.

"May I help you, sir?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I was looking for..." He said. "Ah, there she is...Patricia." He smiled.

"Patricia...well, well, well!" Lorelai teased and everyone laughed.

"Oh stop it!" Miss Patty smirked.

"Are you ready?" The man asked.

"I'm right in the middle of something, Jésus, but I'll be right out. Patience." She said.

"Ok." He said walking out.

"Now, as we were saying..." Taylor said.

"Who's the fox, Patty?" Babette asked.

"Excuse me!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I met him at a funeral. Great guy, good dancer, Latin..." Miss Patty smiled getting another 'oooh' from everyone.

"People, order please!" Taylor exclaimed frustrated.

"He better treat you right, this guy." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, how well do you know him?" Babette asked.

"Well, I just met him."

"I could look him up on the internet." Kirk suggested.

"Along with photos of Taylor getting dumped on!" Charlotte grinned.

"People, please!" Taylor shouted. "Now, due to the lack of response, we'll hold off on the bird spikes." He said reluctantly.

"Good." Luke said.

"Let Miss Patty's date begin!" Lorelai grinned causing everyone to start getting up.

"Hold it. There's one more issue that must be addressed before we can adjourn. All right. Now, that weird, taciturn fellow who's always walking around with his backpack has put in an absurd request to stage a protest in the town square." Taylor said.

"The town loner?" Lorelai asked.

"That guy still lives around here?" Luke said.

"Somewhere in the hills, right?" Babette said.

"I thought he was long gone." Luke said.

"No, he came into the bookstore a couple times last month, never said a word." Andrew commented.

"He's a bit creepy." Miss Patty said.

"Very creepy!" Taylor nodded.

"But he's our Boo Radley and we don't have a Boo Radley! Unless you count the troubadour or Pete the pizza guy or the guy who talks to mailboxes." Lorelai exclaimed.

"We definitely do need a Boo Radley!" Charlotte nodded.

"I think the point is that every town needs as many Boo Radleys as they can get." Rory said.

"Yes, that's my point!" Lorelai nodded.

"What's he protesting, Taylor?" Miss Patty asked.

"Well, that's not indicated here but it doesn't matter because protesting is not allowed in the town square, period. It's un-American." Taylor said.

"What's the harm in him protesting? His protests are always peaceful anyway." Charlotte said.

"I agree." Lorelai said.

"Well I disagree and as Town Selectman, I am refusing the town loner's request to protest and I am adjourning this meeting." He said banging his gavel.

"She's all yours, Jésus!" Lorelai called out.

"We got nothing of substance done in this meeting." Luke commented getting up with Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory.

"And the tradition stands." Lorelai joked.

"Yeah that's the fun of these meetings!" Charlotte grinned.

The four of them walked out together.

"Hey, what do you know about this town loner guy?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Same as everyone. Just kind of skulks around with that backpack, never smiles." Luke said.

"Does he also make cheeseburgers and secretly harbour a desire to wear a backwards baseball cap?" Lorelai teased.

"What?" Luke said.

"Do you have a cousin? One who likes to protest?" She teased.

"Stop it." Luke rolled his eyes.

Just then Jess drove by in a car.

"Oh I didn't know Jess got a car." Lorelai said, looking at Charlotte.

"Don't look at me." Charlotte said. "He didn't say anything to me." She said watching Jess disappear out of sight. "I'm going to head home." She said.

"Yeah I need to study. I'll go with Charlotte." Rory said.

"Ok, I'll catch up with you." Lorelai said.

Rory walked off with Charlotte. She glanced across at her. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Charlotte asked.

"You just don't seem ok. Does it bother you Jess having a car?" Rory asked.

"Not really."

"That sounds convincing." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, I know what happened to my car was an accident. It wasn't Jess' fault. But it would have been nice for him to tell me he was getting a car." She said.

Rory just nodded.

"I'm going to go for a walk." Charlotte said. "I'll meet you at home."

"Ok." Rory said watching her sister walk off.

* * *

Luke found Jess round the corner, getting out of the car. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." Jess said.

"So...you got a car." Luke said.

"Well observed." Jess said. "I know it's not much but it'll get me from point A to point B."

"Yeah, I guess it'll get you around." Luke said. "So...uh...where did you get the money for it?" He asked.

"Mugged an old lady." Jess said sarcastically.

"Jess..."

"It didn't cost that much."

"What's not much?" Luke asked.

"Less than a lot?"

"Jess, where did you get the money?" Luke sighed.

"You know that hash you sling at the diner? I scrape it off the plates in the back. Remember I work for you?" Jess said.

"Yeah, I know you do." Luke said.

"Ok, then."

"I also know I don't pay you enough to buy the car."

"I saved up my pennies and I bought the car from Gypsy. She gave me a good deal. That's how I got the car." Jess said.

"Ok, so you bought a car. Now, the price of the car is just one small thing. It's just the beginning." Luke said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Did you take the additional expenses into account?"

"Like...?" Jess said.

"Insurance?"

"I'm in good hands."

"Liability, uninsured motorist?"

"All the paperwork's in the glove compartment. Feel free to check it out." Jess said.

"Money for gas?"

"You mean this didn't come with a never empty magical tank?"

"Jess..." Luke said.

"I factored that in."

"You're going to have repairs." Luke pointed out.

"Yeah, and I can fix most of them myself and save up for the rest. Plus, I'm going to make sure to replace the oil every couple of months." He said.

"Right, I bet you didn't think of that, the oil. That costs money." Luke said.

"I'm the one that brought it up. You're the one that didn't think of it." Jess said.

"No, but...I just..." Luke sighed giving up.

"Sign this." Jess said handing him a piece of paper.

"The registration?" Luke asked.

"I'm still a minor." Jess said.

"I don't have a pen." Luke said.

"Here." Jess said holding out a pen. He was surprised when Luke actually took it and signed the paper.

"I guess it's ok that someone else's name is crossed out on it and that yours it written in." Luke said dryly.

"Yup." Jess said.

"Just checking." He said handing it back.

"Thanks. I'm glad we had this talk." Jess smirked.

"Yeah, same here." Luke said shaking his head and walking off.

Jess then spotted Charlotte walking towards him. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." She said. "So you got a car..."

"A lot of good observations tonight." Jess smirked.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting a car?" Charlotte asked.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." Jess said.

"Oh." Charlotte said, looking at the car.

"Are you ok?" Jess asked.

"Who me? Yeah I'm fine." Charlotte forced a smile on her face.

"Ok..." Jess said not pushing her.

"I should get home." She said.

"Call you later?" He asked.

"Sure." She said giving him a small smile before walking off, leaving Jess stood there confused.

* * *

Charlotte was sat in the armchair with her sketchpad while Rory was studying on the couch as Lorelai walked through the front door with the mail.

"Hey! Mail call!" Lorelai smiled handing both of them a piece of mail.

"What's this?" Rory asked.

"Mortgage payment. You mind picking it up this month you two?" Lorelai joked.

"No, not at all." Rory said opening it along with Charlotte. "Oh. It's an invitation..." She said glancing over at Charlotte who was staring at it.

"Invitation for what?" Lorelai asked. "Oh, is it the White House again? Those boys never give up." She joked.

"It's to Sherry's baby shower." Rory cringed.

"Who?" Lorelai asked.

"Sherry. Sherry Tinsdale. Dad's Sherry?" Rory said.

"You're kidding." She said surprised, glancing over at Charlotte who hadn't said anything yet.

"It's at her and Dad's house on Sunday." Rory read out.

"Wow, that is very weird. We haven't had contact with Christopher in months. She must know we're on the outs with him, right?" Lorelai said.

"Unless he didn't tell her." Charlotte spoke for the first time.

"Yeah she might not know how on the outs we are." Rory said.

"Well, zero contact is maximum on the outs." Lorelai commented.

"Yeah...although there may have been some..." Rory cringed.

"Some what?" Lorelai asked.

"Some contact." Rory admitted.

"Oh..." Lorelai said. "You've been in contact with Christopher?"

"Yeah..." Rory admitted, glancing over at her sister who was just looking at her not saying anything. "I'm sorry..." She said.

"Oh no, hon, don't apologize." Lorelai said quickly. "You've always been totally free to talk to him whenever you want. I've told you that. I mean, he's your dad, right? So don't apologize." She said.

"Ok, I take the apology back." Rory said.

"I think it's good you've been talking to him. It is a little weird you didn't tell me, though." Lorelai said.

"Very weird." Charlotte commented.

"Sorry." Rory said.

Lorelai glanced between her daughters and realised they needed some time. "I'm going to go make some coffee. Any takers?" She said.

"Me please." Rory said.

"Sure." Charlotte said.

"Three coffees coming up." Lorelai said disappearing off to the kitchen.

Rory glanced over at her sister. "Are you mad?" She asked hesitantly.

"No." Charlotte said.

"Charlie..." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "I'm a bit surprised but mad? No, I have no right to be mad. He's your dad too. Just because I'm on the outs with him doesn't mean you have to be." She said.

"But..." Rory said.

"Ror, it's fine." Charlotte said.

"Really?" Rory asked relaxing a bit.

"Really." She said.

"I was mad at him. I really was." Rory said.

"I know." Charlotte nodded.

"But he's still..."

"Our dad. Yeah I know." Charlotte said. "It's fine. You shouldn't feel guilty."

"Ok." Rory said. She glanced at her sister. "Thanks." She said softly.

Charlotte smiled at her. "So are you going to go?" She asked.

"I don't know." Rory admitted. "It feels weird."

"Yeah..." Charlotte said.

"But this kid is going to be our half brother or sister whether we like it or not. It's not the kid's fault." Rory said. "And Sherry's been nothing but nice to us as well."

"True." Charlotte said. She sighed seeing her sister hesitate. "Look, if you want to go, I'll go with you." She said.

"Really?" Rory asked surprised.

"Like you said, it's not Sherry's fault. Or the kid's fault. And it's not like dad will be there so I wouldn't have to see him." Charlotte said.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked.

"Hey, what are sisters for?" Charlotte smiled.

Rory smiled. "Ok. So we're going?"

"Looks like it." Charlotte said.

"I'll drive you there if you want." Lorelai said coming back in.

"Really?" Rory asked surprised.

"Yeah, I'll do some Boston shopping while you quiche it." She joked.

"And we can set up some sort of SOS signal that we can page you with if we want to bail early?" Rory asked.

"Sure." Lorelai nodded.

"What should the SOS signal be?" Rory asked.

"How about SOS?" Charlotte smirked.

"Perfect!" Lorelai grinned.

* * *

Sunday soon came and Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory had headed off to Boston. Meanwhile, back at the diner, Luke walked up to the apartment with some containers of food. He found Jess already there. "Hey, I got dinner. Half an apple pie, too. Told the last couple people that wanted some that a fly landed in it." He said.

"Why are you going through my stuff?" Jess asked.

"Huh?" Luke said.

"Why are you going through all my stuff?" Jess repeated.

"I'm not." Luke said.

"So someone else is?"

"I'm not going through your stuff." He argued.

"You suck at lying." Jess said.

"You're paranoid." Luke said.

"Fine, I'm being paranoid but that doesn't mean you're not going through my stuff." Jess exclaimed annoyed.

"Get the forks." Luke said.

"Practically everything I own is in a slightly different place than when I saw it last. Now why are you going through my stuff?" Jess insisted.

"For your own good."

"My own good?"

"Hey, how about I ask a question, Jess?" Luke said.

"If it has to do with this, be my guest."

"Where did you get the money for the car?"

"What?"

"The car. Where did you get the money?" Luke repeated.

"I told you, I worked for it." Jess said.

"I know what I pay you."

"Ok, well I do jobs around town." Jess admitted.

"What jobs?"

"I clean rain gutters."

"Jess, if you cleaned every rain gutter from here to Vermont, you wouldn't have enough money to buy that car. Now tell me where you got the money."

"I'm not just doing rain gutters when I'm not working at the diner."

"What are you doing?"

"I go to a...a place that gives me money." Jess said.

"For what?" Luke asked confused.

"For my services."

"What services? What place?" Luke asked. He then paused. "Oh my god, Jess, are you a gigolo?" He asked. "How could you do that to Charlotte? Does she even know?"

"What? Ok you're crazy!" Jess exclaimed.

"Well, I don't know. You say you go to a place where they give you money..." Luke exclaimed.

"I do."

"Where?" Luke exclaimed.

"Wal-Mart!" Jess finally admitted.

"Wait, what?" Luke said surprised.

"I've been working there twelve hours a week for the past few months to get extra money for the car." Jess said.

"Wal-Mart?"

"Yeah."

"You work at Wal-Mart?" Luke asked.

"Yeah."

"I can't picture you working at Wal-Mart." Luke said.

Jess pulled a name tag out of his pocket and showed it to Luke.

"Oh my god, you work at Wal-Mart." Luke laughed.

"Let's drop this now." Jess said.

"Yeah, sure, fine." Luke said as they went over to the table to eat. "You're not the guy that greets people at the door, are you?" He asked amused.

"We were dropping this." Jess groaned.

"Come on!"

"I work in the back. I move stock around on a forklift."

"That takes a special license, doesn't it?" Luke asked.

"I spent a Saturday afternoon taking the class and I got it like that, no biggie." Jess said.

"Wow. Does Charlotte know?"

"No and she's not going to. We done here?" Jess asked.

"Yeah." Luke said. "You wear a vest and everything?" He smirked.

"It's the uniform, I have to."

"You've been sneaking out of here with a little vest hidden on you?" Luke asked amused.

"It's not a little vest."

"Is it blue?"

"Will you stop talking about the vest?"

"Do you get a store discount?" Luke teased.

"Fifteen percent. And if you want fifteen percent off anything, you're not going to get it because you're being a jerk." Jess commented.

"My enjoyment is worth the loss." Luke grinned.

"I'm eating and ignoring you."

"Ah, you're like the all-American boy."

"Call me Dirk Squarejaw." Jess said dryly.

"Look at you." Luke teased.

"What?"

"Eating apple pie." He smirked.

"I'm out of here." Jess groaned.

"Hey, wave a flag and sing "God Bless America", please?" Luke chuckled.

"Goodbye." Jess said before leaving the apartment.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were driving home from the shower that evening in silence. It had been a surreal day, one that included Sherry insisting that Lorelai join them.

"You're okay to drive, right?" Rory asked.

"I barely drank a thing." Lorelai said.

"I'm talking about your mood." Rory said.

"My mood is fine." Lorelai sighed.

"You're still mad at Sherry." Rory commented.

"No, I'm fine, and I'm fine to drive. Although sometimes, when I'm driving and it's dark like this, I get the sudden urge to turn the wheel into oncoming traffic." She commented.

"No, do not do Duane from Annie Hall!" Charlotte said.

"I can see the flames, I can smell the smoke..." Lorelai said.

"I hate this bit." Rory said.

"Ok, I'm creeping me out, too. Move those things, will you? They're not the most fragrant food in the world." Lorelai said screwing up her nose.

Rory moved the container away from her. "We shouldn't have taken them." She said.

"We had no choice." Charlotte said from the back.

"She was insistent." Rory agreed.

"Take the deviled eggs! How many times did the woman say it? And then her drunken friends hear it and they're all shouting it!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"They were all drunk." Rory said.

"Maureen and Susan almost coming to blows was worth it, though. How did that happen, anyway?" Lorelai asked.

"From what I can tell, Susan said, "Bla ra um beh bleh," and Maureen took great offence." Charlotte smirked.

"Well, yeah." Lorelai smirked.

"You know, we didn't have to stay that long." Rory said.

"Not according to Sherry. She made a very persuasive argument that if we left at six, there would be an extra hour of sitting in traffic, so by leaving at seven we would get home at the same time as leaving at six." Lorelai said.

"She's very up on traffic flow and rush hour and all that." Charlotte nodded.

"She should do traffic reports on the radio." Rory joked. "At least you're joking now. You're feeling better."

"I'm not feeling better. I'm still...urgh! That medicine cabinet was not enough." Lorelai said.

"Mom..." Rory said.

"It was tame, and any one of those drunken yuppies could have messed it up." Lorelai pointed out.

"They wouldn't dare. Plus, when I went back in there, I cleaned it up." Rory admitted.

"Rory!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Let it go." Rory said.

"That was my catharsis!" Lorelai whined.

"Hey, stop the car!" Charlotte said suddenly.

"What, why?" Lorelai said pulling up.

"You want catharsis?" Charlotte grinned.

"Yes..."

"I know what will do it for you." Charlotte said.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Jess' car." Charlotte grinned.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

"We egg Jess' car. It's perfect." Charlotte said.

"Are you serious? You want us to egg your boyfriend's car?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Hey, he didn't tell me about getting a car. He deserves it!" Charlotte said.

"No one's around and it is just sitting there." Rory commented.

"Ok if rearranging Sherry's medicine cabinet is immature, what's this?" Lorelai said.

"Off the chart." Charlotte grinned.

"We can't egg his car." Lorelai said.

"Sure we can." Charlotte said.

"Doose's is closed and we don't have any eggs at home." Lorelai pointed out.

Rory held up the container of deviled eggs. "Yes we do." She grinned.

"You seriously want to devil egg Jess' car? And how is that going to make me feel better about Sherry?" She asked.

"Because it's active! It's aggressive! It's destructive, but not too destructive! I don't know...can't you make something up?" Charlotte said.

Lorelai grinned. "Ok, let's do it."

"Leave the engine running." Rory said as they got out.

"Good thinking." Lorelai said.

They walked over to Jess' car with the deviled eggs.

"You first." Lorelai said.

Charlotte took a deviled egg, took a deep breath and then threw it at the car.

"Wow, nice." Lorelai said.

"It made a good sound, too." Rory said.

"How did it feel?" Lorelai asked.

"Fantastic." Charlotte grinned. "Try it."

Lorelai then threw an egg at the car. "You're right, that's good."

"Fun, huh?" Charlotte grinned.

"I don't think there's been a better use of deviled eggs in culinary history." Lorelai joked.

They all then threw the remaining of the eggs at the car until they ran out.

"That's it?" Lorelai asked.

"All out." Rory confirmed.

"Damn that Sherry for not sending more home with us!" Lorelai said.

"Don't lose your catharsis!" Charlotte said.

"Right, sorry. Wait..." Lorelai said.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Is that a siren?"

"I don't hear anything." Charlotte said.

"Neither do I. It just seemed a cool thing to say at that moment." Lorelai grinned.

"It was." Rory nodded.

"Hey, let's run back and speed off like we did something really awful and the cops are after us!" She exclaimed.

"Run!" Charlotte exclaimed and they all ran back to the jeep and got back in.

"Be prepared because I am going to squeal out of here!" Lorelai told them.

"Go!" Rory said.

Lorelai revved the engine but the car failed to squeal.

"Try again, try again!" Charlotte exclaimed.

She tried it again but it didn't squeal again.

"We'll just make the noise ourselves." Rory said.

"Good deal." Lorelai said. She revved the engine and pulled off, all of them making squealing noises as they drove off.

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked past Jess' car.

"I wonder if he's seen it yet." Rory said.

"Doesn't look like it. Maybe we should've headed for the border." Lorelai joked.

"Which one?" Charlotte asked but she felt a pang of guilt as she saw the state of Jess' car. In the dark, they couldn't actually see the damage.

"The one between America and Sephoraland?" Lorelai joked.

They then noticed Luke walking from the other direction.

"Hi!" Lorelai smiled at him giving him a quick a kiss.

"Hey." Luke smiled. "I was just seeing what the mob scene is." He said gesturing over to the square where a crowd of townspeople were standing.

"The protest!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"We almost forgot!" Rory exclaimed.

"Come on!" Charlotte grinned and they rushed over to the crowd with Luke following them.

"So it's the big day, huh?" Lorelai said excitedly.

"Oh, it's supposed to happen any minute." Babette nodded.

"Goody!" Charlotte grinned excitedly.

"This is hardly a goody, young lady." Taylor scolded. He turned to the police officer. "Are you locked and loaded, Officer?" He checked.

"I'm a tiger ready to pounce, Taylor." She said sarcastically.

"What's with having the law here, Taylor?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, this protest is going to be very mellow, very peaceful." Babette said.

As they continued to wait, they suddenly saw the town loner appear. However, the protest wasn't exactly a success as he tried to drop a banner down the church but it was the wrong way round and then it broke as he tried to turn it. He then proceeded to try and shout his protest but no one could understand what he was saying. Eventually he gave up and went to leave.

"Well that was a bit of an anticlimax." Charlotte commented disappointed.

"Aw he's picking up his litter." Rory said.

"He looks so sad." Charlotte said.

"Aw don't worry, I'm sure Mrs Town Loner will cheer him up." Lorelai smiled.

"Luke!" They suddenly heard Jess shout.

The three of them looked over to see Jess looking at his car.

"Meet you at the diner?" Luke said to Lorelai.

"Of course." Lorelai nodded.

Luke then headed over to Jess.

"Did you see this?" Jess said.

"See what? What happened?" Luke asked.

"Someone egged my car." Jess said.

"Geez, it stinks!" Luke said.

"It's going to take me forever to clean this up." Jess grumbled.

"These eggs are cooked." Luke commented.

"What?"

"They're not raw eggs. They look like deviled eggs." Luke said.

"Someone devil egged my car?" Jess exclaimed.

"Yep, that is paprika." Luke smirked.

"Someone prepared deviled eggs to throw at my car?" Jess exclaimed.

"Man, they must hate you a lot. Hey, maybe it was the guy in the garden department." Luke joked.

"I'm going to go get something to clean this up." Jess said ignoring his uncle's obvious enjoyment of this.

"Or maybe it was the assistant night manager? You guys have words in the snack room?" Luke asked following him to the diner.

* * *

Charlotte left the diner after having breakfast with her mom and Rory. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw Jess scrubbing the eggs off his car. She slowly walked over to him. "Hey..." She said.

"Hey." He said.

"So you work at Wal-Mart?" She asked.

"Oh geez, did Luke tell you? I'm going to kill him." Jess groaned.

"No. I overheard you two earlier." Charlotte said.

"Oh." He said.

"I think it's cool." Charlotte said.

"You do?" Jess asked surprised.

"Yeah. At least you can buy stuff now and you feel like you've earned it." Charlotte said.

Jess looked at her for a moment. "You wondered where I got the money for the car as well." He said.

"Sort of." She admitted. "Sorry."

"It's cool. I would wonder as well." He shrugged. "Urgh this is so hard to get off." He grumbled trying to scrub the eggs off.

Charlotte watched him guiltily. "So...I went to Sherry's baby shower with Rory yesterday." She said.

"Yeah, Luke mentioned it." Jess nodded. "How was it?"

"It was alright. Although it was a bit weird. Sherry insisted our mom join too. You can imagine how that went down." Charlotte said.

"Oh dear." Jess smirked.

"Anyway, Sherry gave us some food to take home with us..." Charlotte said. "Eggs. Deviled eggs." She admitted.

Jess glanced at her and then he suddenly understood what she was trying to say. "This was you." He said.

"Guilty." She smiled sheepishly.

"Why?" He asked.

Charlotte glanced at him but he didn't looked angry or annoyed. She sighed. "Mom was annoyed with Sherry and wanted catharsis. I saw your car. We had the eggs. I was mad at you. This happened." She said gesturing at the car.

"Huh." He said.

"Are you mad?" Charlotte asked.

"Not mad. Just...confused. Why didn't you just tell me you were upset? It's to do with the car right?" Jess said.

"I was just hurt you didn't tell me you were planning to get a car. I mean, you know I don't blame you for what happened to my car. It was an accident. But I thought you'd at least tell me." Charlotte admitted. "But I shouldn't have done this. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Jess shrugged.

"You need some help cleaning it?" She offered.

"Sure." He said handing her a sponge.

Charlotte smiled at him and started scrubbing at the eggs.

"I bought it for you." Jess said.

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"The car. I was going to fix it up and give it to you." Jess admitted.

"You were...what?" Charlotte asked stunned.

"I felt bad about what happened to your car. I know it was an accident and you didn't blame me for it but I was still driving and it got ruined. I wanted to make it up to you so I saved up what I made at Wal-Mart and the diner and..." He said.

"Bought this car." Charlotte said quietly. "For me." She said softly.

"For you." Jess said. "It was going to be a surprise. That's why I didn't tell you."

"God, I'm such a jerk." Charlotte cringed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's cool." Jess said.

"I ruined your car." Charlotte said.

"No, you ruined your car." Jess smirked.

Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. "God, I'm crazy!"

"It's fine. We'll get this off. It just leads more water." Jess smirked. "Hold this for a moment." He said giving her his sponge.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked.

"Getting more water on it." Jess said before throwing the whole bucket of water on the car. However, only a quarter went on the car. The other third quarters went all over Charlotte, soaking her.

"Jess!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry. Was never good at aim." Jess smirked.

"You were mad!" She exclaimed.

"Nah. But that did cheer up my day." He smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Charlotte said picking up the other bucket of water.

"Don't you dare." He said.

Charlotte proceeded to throw it over him. "Oops, it slipped. Sorry." She grinned.

"I can't believe you did that." He exclaimed. He picked up the sponge he was using which was full of water and soap. "I see how this is..." He smirked.

"Don't you dare!" Charlotte laughed, trying to run away but Jess grabbed hold of her picking up her and twirling her round before squeezing the sponge over her head. "Jess!" She squealed.

"Payback." Jess smirked putting her back down.

Charlotte turned round and had to laugh. "We must look a picture." She joked.

Jess chuckled. "Yep." He then noticed Charlotte smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Charlotte said. "You just look really hot right now." She smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Jess said.

"Yeah." She grinned. She put her arms round his neck and brought him forward for a kiss. "I really am sorry." She said.

"It's fine. I'd say we're even now." Jess smirked, reciprocating her action.

"My life's never boring with you in it." Charlotte smiled lovingly at him.

"Ditto." Jess smiled.

"I love you, Mariano." Charlotte said softly.

"I love you too, Gilmore." Jess said.

 **So I hoped you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I really do love reading them and they really do mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	20. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delay, it's been a very busy week! :) Anyway, thank you so much for your continued support. Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

Chapter 19

Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, and Richard were sitting at the table at the Gilmore Mansion. Emily was standing at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Do it again, please!" She called through to the kitchen before taking her seat at the table again. "I'm not quite sure what other way there is to say no walnuts in the salad except to say no walnuts in the salad." She huffed.

"Mom, she just made a mistake." Lorelai said.

"She doesn't listen, she doesn't care, she has no work ethic." Emily said.

"She has some work ethic. You made her remake the salad four times." Lorelai pointed out.

"I like things done correctly." Emily said.

"Preferably the first time." Richard commented.

"Thank you, Richard." Emily said.

"You know, Mom, in Europe, they eat the salad last and the main course first." Lorelai said, feeling her stomach rumble.

"We're not in Europe."

"We could pretend." Charlotte quipped.

"Really girls, you can't wait ten minutes for another salad? The situation's that dire?" Emily exclaimed exasperated.

"Four salads ago, no, not dire. Right now it's your money for nothing and your chicks for free." Lorelai said.

"She's right. I'm starving!" Charlotte nodded her agreement.

"Rory?" Emily said.

"They didn't have lunch." Rory said.

Emily huffed. "Fine." She said getting up.

"Where are you going?" Richard asked.

"Apparently, we're going to be European tonight." She said before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Oh, wonderful. I was getting so tired of being American day after day after day." Richard said dryly.

"God, I'm starved." Lorelai said.

"Think about something else." Rory suggested.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Something disgusting that will take your appetite away." Rory said.

"Ari Fleischer?" Lorelai suggested.

"Ari Fleischer is our nation's mouthpiece, young lady." Richard frowned.

"Officially not hungry now." Lorelai pouted.

"Liliana will be right out with the sand dabs. I'm afraid we're going to have to let her go, Richard." Emily said coming back to the table.

"Ok, if that's how you feel, Emily." Richard said.

"You're firing someone over putting walnuts in a salad?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I'm going to fire someone over putting walnuts in the salad after she was told not to put walnuts in the salad." Emily corrected.

"Mom, you know, if you're not a little nicer to your help, you might find yourself in a Frank Lloyd Wright situation."Lorelai warned.

"Frank Lloyd Wright?" Richard asked confused.

"What on earth does Frank Lloyd Wright have to do with my salad?" Emily asked just as confused.

"And your walnuts." Richard added.

"Mrs. Wright apparently had this major problem with her help. She was very rough on them and they totally hated her. So this guy who had worked for her forever, he had finally had enough. I believe the incident was over walnuts, wasn't it, girls?" Lorelai smiled at her daughters.

"Yep." Charlotte nodded.

"The exact cause has not been proven." Rory smirked, shaking her head at her mom and sister's antics.

"Anyhow, Mrs. Wright invites this whole posse of people over for dinner and they're all sitting around eating, and Mr. Disgruntled Servant Guy goes outside and locks all the doors and windows and douses the whole house in gasoline and sets the place on fire!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"My goodness." Emily commented.

"So the house is on fire and people are freaking out so they run to the doors but the doors are locked, so a few of them try to get out through the windows but Mr. Angry-Puss is standing outside with an axe hacking them to death and so they all died." Lorelai continued.

"Why on earth would you tell me that story?" Emily exclaimed.

"All I'm saying is sometimes eating a walnut is preferable to getting hacked to death or set on fire during dinner." Lorelai shrugged.

"One of these days I'm going to make you eat in your room." Emily said.

"I'm going to go get myself another soda. Would anyone else like something?" Rory asked.

"I'd like a big bag of walnuts and make sure you tell her they're for me." Lorelai grinned.

"I'll come with you." Charlotte said getting up as well.

"I believe I need a little more ice. Emily, are you fine?" Richard asked.

"Yes Richard, I'm fine thank you." Emily said.

Lorelai sniffed the air teasing her mother.

"Oh stop that!" Emily said.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Rory and Charlotte were getting sodas out of the fridge as Richard walked in. "Did you find it?" He smiled.

"Yes, we did thanks." Rory smiled.

"Good, good. Ah, here we are, ice." Richard smiled. "And...chocolates." He smirked.

"Bless you!" Charlotte exclaimed taking the chocolates and eating one.

"So, tell me, how's it going at school?" He asked them.

"It's good. It's crazy." Rory said.

"Definitely crazy." Charlotte nodded.

"Senior year." Richard said.

"Yep." Rory said.

"Preparing for college can be a daunting task. I remember when I was preparing for Yale." Richard said.

"Bad?" Rory asked.

"I don't believe I slept the entire year. I didn't even cut my hair for two months." Richard chuckled.

"Grandpa!" Charlotte laughed.

"Oh, yes, it was quite a scandal. But in the end, it was all worth it." He smiled.

"Yeah?" Rory asked.

"My years at Yale were absolutely the most gratifying ones of my life. Just the sheer freedom of knowing that anything I wanted to learn, I could learn right there. Plus, the history of the place, the heritage as well. My father went to Yale." He said.

"We know." Rory nodded.

"I also made wonderful friends there. Friends I still have today." He said.

"That must be nice." Charlotte said.

"I'm going to be going back there next week. There's going to be a little reunion of the Whiffenpoofs." He smiled.

"I'm sorry, the what?" Charlotte smirked.

"It's an acappella singing group I belonged to at Yale." He explained.

"A singing group?" Rory asked surprised.

"A very famous singing group, actually. Like the Beatles, but with better table manners." He joked.

"I've never heard you sing." Rory said.

"Well, I'm no Perry Como, but my shower hasn't kicked me out yet. Anyway, a group of us are going to get together at the old alma mater and have a little dinner, swap some war stories." He smiled.

"Sounds fun." Rory smiled.

Just then a maid walked by with a tray. "Excuse me." She said.

"Uh...did you see what I just saw?" Charlotte said.

"Walnuts." Richard nodded.

"Poor Grandma." Rory said.

"Poor us." Richard joked. He glanced at them. "You know, you might want to come with me next week." He said.

"Come with you where?" Rory asked.

"To Yale."

"What?" Rory asked surprised exchanging a glance with Charlotte.

"Oh I don't mean to the dinner, that would be boring for you, but you might enjoy seeing the school." He said.

"Well..." Rory said not really knowing what to say.

"Grandpa..." Charlotte tried.

"Your mother could come to. It would be a fun little adventure." He smiled.

"Wow..." Rory said.

"We could drive down, have a little roadside snack, get there about noon. Have a little tour, and then the three of you girls could go off and have fun, and the old folks can have a somber little dinner. I think you'd love to see it. I certainly would love to show it to you." He said.

Rory looked at their Grandpa's hopeful face. She glanced at Charlotte who just shrugged. "Well...ok." She said. "That would be nice."

"Wonderful. Oh, I'm thrilled!" Richard said happily. "Uh...do you want to tell your mother or shall I?" He asked.

"Oh, you know what, we can tell her." Rory said.

"Alright." Richard said. "We better get back in there."

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory finally walked out of the house later that night. "Ok, I officially vote that we send my mother an anonymous note requesting that she never make us the sand dabs again." Lorelai joked.

"I'm not sure how anonymous it would be considering she said we were the first people she ever made them for." Rory said.

They get into the car and Lorelai started the engine.

"So we have to tell you something." Rory said.

"Ok." Lorelai said.

"Grandpa talked to us tonight." She said, causing Lorelai to turn off the engine. "Why did you turn the car off?"

"I'm just getting the sense that I shouldn't be driving a large vehicle when you tell me this." Lorelai said.

"It's no big deal." Charlotte chipped in.

"Ok..."

"It's not." Rory said.

"Then tell me." She said.

"Ok. Uh...well, Grandpa was mentioning that he and Grandma are going on a trip next week, a driving trip somewhere, and he invited me and Charlotte to go. And you. He invited you and me and Charlotte to go on a trip with him and Grandma." Rory said.

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where's the driving trip to?" Lorelai asked.

"Yale." Charlotte said.

Lorelai got out of the car and walked towards the porch. Rory and Charlotte got out and rushed after her.

"Mom, wait!" Charlotte said.

"No, it's okay, I got it." Lorelai said.

"He's going for some nostalgia thing. For a reunion of, I don't know, the Whiffenhoofs." Rory said.

"Poofs." Charlotte corrected her.

"What?" Rory said.

"It's the Whiffenpoofs." Charlotte said.

"Not much better." Rory said.

"I totally agree." Lorelai said.

"Mom, he got all sentimental and he really just wants to show us the campus. It's no big deal." Rory said.

"It's a huge deal." Lorelai disagreed.

"Mom..." Rory said.

"There's a reason he wants to drag you out there, Rory. He's manipulating you. Both of you. Trust me, I know, he's a master at it." She said.

"Ok, fine, maybe he is, but he really wants us to go, I can tell." Charlotte said. "And you don't have to go. I mean, he invited you and we would really love it if you could come, but really you can stay home. Just please don't make a big thing out of this. This doesn't have to be a fight."

"Charlotte..." Lorelai groaned.

"We go. We look. Hi Yale. Bye Yale. It's over. No harm, no foul." Charlotte said. "Please mom. You should have seen his face when we agreed. Please."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine." She relented. "But I'm not happy with it."

"We know." Rory said. "But hey, maybe you'll be surprised. Maybe it will be a nice trip."

"I doubt it." Lorelai said but headed back to the car with them. "Luke's on the way home? I could seriously do with some coffee."

"Sure." Rory nodded.

"Sounds good." Charlotte said.

* * *

Charlotte walked into the diner the following afternoon. She passed Kirk just as he was leaving. "Hey Kirk." She said.

"Charlotte." He nodded before sneaking a peak into her backpack.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked.

"Where were you this morning at about ten?" He asked.

"At school." She answered.

"Do you have any witnesses?"

"Yes."

"Can you get them to make a short statement?"

"No."

"Oh...well...ok." He said before leaving.

She smirked as she went up to the counter where Luke was. "Hey!" She said. "Someone take his trophy again?"

"Apparently." Luke nodded.

"Every year." Charlotte smirked.

"Your mom didn't have anything to do with it, did she?" He smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "Nah, as much as she was devastated by the loss, that's not her style." She joked.

Luke chuckled. "So you want some food?"

"A burger please!" Charlotte grinned. "Is Jess upstairs?"

"He should be, yeah." Luke nodded.

"Ok. I just need to talk to him about something. Can I go up?" She asked.

"Sure." Luke nodded. "The burger will only be a few minutes though." He said.

"Ok, I won't be long." Charlotte said.

"Good. Good." He said.

Charlotte smirked to herself as she headed upstairs. It was the same every day. Luke always made an excuse about why Charlotte couldn't spend more than a few minutes upstairs alone with Jess. She knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Jess' voice called.

"Hey!" She smiled as she entered the apartment.

"Oh hey." He smiled getting up from his usual armchair.

Charlotte gave him a quick kiss before they headed to the couch and sat down.

"Luke making you some food?" Jess asked.

"Yep. It'll only take a few minutes." Charlotte said.

"Figures." Jess chuckled.

"I don't know what he thinks would happen if we spent more than a few minutes up here alone." Charlotte said.

"I think it's pretty obvious what he thinks." Jess commented.

Charlotte glanced across at him. "And is that something you would want to happen?" She asked hesitantly.

Jess glanced at her. "Only when we're both ready for it." He replied cautiously.

Charlotte gave him a small smile and just nodded. "So, I can't hang out tomorrow. Sorry." She said, changing the subject.

"How come?" Jess asked.

"Our Grandpa asked me and Rory to visit Yale with him. And mom's coming along too." Charlotte told him.

"Yale? Really?" Jess asked surprised. "I bet your mom was happy with that."

"On the contrary." Charlotte sighed.

"Are you ok?" Jess asked.

She sighed. "Mom hates the idea of either of us going to Yale. She has it in her head that Rory's going to go to Harvard and I don't even know what she thinks I will do. Yale is a big no in her eyes though. She has it in her head that it means our Grandpa wins or something. Or that it links us with them in some way."

"But..." Jess prompted knowing she was holding something back.

"But...I sort of want to go and look around." Charlotte admitted. "I've been looking into colleges and Yale has a great art course."

"Yale is a great university." Jess commented.

Charlotte glanced at him. They hadn't really talked much about what would happen after school. "Have you thought anything about colleges?" She asked cautiously.

"Not really." He shrugged.

"Jess..." Charlotte said.

"It's not really for me." He admitted. "School's not for me but I sort of have to go but college...nah..." He glanced at her as she stayed quiet. "But I think it's good you're thinking about Yale."

"You do?" She asked.

"You're amazing at art. If Yale has a top art course, you should go." He nodded.

"You really think so?" She asked quietly.

"Sure." He said but didn't quite catch her gaze.

Charlotte was about to say something but just then Luke came in. "Here's your burger." He said.

"Oh thanks." She said getting up. She glanced at Jess. "See you tomorrow evening? I can tell you about my day."

"Sure." He nodded.

Charlotte gave him a small smile before leaving, leaving Jess staring after her before he sighed and went back to the book he was reading.

* * *

The five of them were walking through Yale's campus the following day.

"Wow, does that guy look smart! I mean it, he's got the smart look down. The glasses, the furrowed brow, the ticky walk." Lorelai commented as they passed some students.

"Well we are at Yale, you know. There are smart people here." Rory said.

"I know there are smart people here. I just didn't realise how many. I bet if I pulled my chequebook out now, twelve guys could help me balance it." She joked.

"Thirteen if you were near the right building." Richard commented.

"Grandpa, that art gallery was amazing! Thank you." Charlotte enthused.

"Yale has one of the finest collections of British art in the world." He told her.

"Louvre, schmouvre." Lorelai joked.

"It does?" Charlotte asked interested, ignoring her mom.

"Oh yes, I spent a lot of time in that gallery as a young man." Richard nodded.

"I'll say you did." Emily commented.

"What was that 'I'll say you did'?" Lorelai asked.

"I just remember that that gallery was one of your father's favourite places to bring the ladies." Emily smirked.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Really?" Charlotte grinned.

"Emily..." Richard said.

"It's where you took me on our first date." She shrugged.

"So Dad liked to impress them with the paintings." Lorelai smirked.

"Hey, it would work with me." Charlotte said.

"Why did you bring this up?" Richard asked Emily.

"He was a master of the frown, step back, wrinkle and sigh." Emily continued.

"The what?" Rory asked.

"Frown. Step back. Wrinkle. And sigh." Emily repeated but doing the actions along with it this time.

"I did no such thing!" Richard said.

"And then he would talk about the paintings he had seen in Paris and the colours of Titian and by the end of the date, you thought he was the most brilliant man in the entire world." Emily said with a small smile.

"You shouldn't tell them this. They'll think I was some kind of lothario." Richard said embarrassed.

"Well, you were." Emily said.

"I was just a young single man who wanted to experience life."

"Don't ever fall for that line." Lorelai told Rory and Charlotte who just grinned.

"You know, Emily, you weren't such an innocent little doe lost in the woods yourself." Richard fought back.

"I beg your pardon?" Emily said.

"They're turning on each other, I love it." Lorelai grinned.

"I'll have you know, I was happily involved in a very serious relationship when your mother decided she simply had to have me." Richard told them.

"Oh the size of your ego, I swear." She said.

"Linny Lott."

"That mouse?"

"Oh, that mouse and I were engaged." He pointed out.

"You were not." Emily scoffed.

"I had given her my pin and introduced her to my parents."

"So?"

"The date was set, invitations mailed out." Richard said.

"Grandma!" Charlotte laughed.

"Well, you couldn't marry Linny Lott. That woman needed directions to get to a point." Emily said.

"Ouch!" Lorelai smirked.

"Richard Gilmore, you are going to give these girls the wrong impression." Emily said.

"What impression is that, Grandma?" Rory grinned.

"I did not steal your grandfather, I simply gave him a choice." Emily told them.

"When you showed up at my fraternity party in that blue dress, I had no choice." Richard said with a wistful smile.

"You stole my father with fashion?" Lorelai asked.

"I can't believe you remember the dress." Emily said amazed.

"I can't believe you were the other woman." Lorelai quipped.

"This is ridiculous. Will you stop now?" Emily huffed.

"Do you remember?" Richard asked suddenly, smiling, as they stopped next to a trash can.

"What?" Emily asked confused. She then looked around. "Oh my god, this was where you proposed!" She exclaimed.

"That's right." Richard smiled.

"We were going to meet my girlfriends who were going to drive me back to school." Emily said remembering.

"And you were angry with me." Richard commented.

"Because you wouldn't commit to plans for the holidays."

"Because I was going to invite you to the house to meet my parents after I proposed!"

"Which I didn't know because you gave me no indication whatsoever!"

"Anyway, you had just finished calling me a spineless jellyfish." Richard said his eyes twinkling.

"And you got very annoyed, reached in your pocket, pulled out a box and said, "Here."" Emily smirked.

"And you opened the box, showed no emotion, slammed it close and said, "Fine."" Richard replied.

"Yes I did." Emily smiled.

They smiled at each other over the trash can and then kissed.

"That's so sweet." Rory smiled.

"Very sweet!" Charlotte agreed.

After having taken her mother to the bathroom to fix a button on her skirt, they headed back outside and stopped when they saw Richard, Charlotte and Rory chatting and laughing on a bench in the courtyard.

"You know, your father's having a wonderful time." Emily said, smiling as she watched her husband with their granddaughters.

"Well, good." Lorelai said.

"It means a lot to him to share this with Rory and Charlotte." Emily said.

"I know." Lorelai admitted, having to smile as her daughters laughed at a joke her father must have made. She had to admit it had been a nice trip so far.

"Actually, it means a lot to him to share this with you as well. It's very nice that you're here." Emily said softly.

Lorelai glanced at her mother. She gave her a small smile. "Thanks mom." She said softly.

* * *

However, she knew she had spoken too soon especially after her father had railroaded Rory and Charlotte into having a meeting with the Dean of Admissions. She had just had a big fight with both of her parents and she was waiting inside the building when Rory and Charlotte emerged.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both." The Dean said shaking both of their hands.

"Well, how did it go? I see that everyone is smiling." Richard smiled.

"Richard, your granddaughters are everything you said and more. You should be very proud." The Dean said.

"I am. Very proud." Richard smiled.

The Dean nodded, said his goodbyes and then disappeared.

"Well, that sounded like it went very well." Richard smiled at his granddaughters.

"Why did you do that?" Charlotte asked.

"Do what?" Richard asked.

"Why did you make this appointment without telling us about it?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Look girls, I know this appointment upset your mother but this was an important opportunity." Richard said.

"It did upset me." Lorelai said angrily.

"We know it was an important opportunity. That's why we can't believe you didn't prepare us for it." Rory said.

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway." Lorelai said.

"Sure, it doesn't matter to you!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

Charlotte turned to her Grandpa. "It upset mom because you did this behind her back and I get why she's upset. But I'm upset because I actually wanted to go here and now I've probably blown my chance because you didn't see it fit to prepare me!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I didn't have my transcripts or my letters of recommendation! I can't believe you did this!"

"Charlotte.." Richard said shocked.

"I need to get out of here before I say something I'm going to regret." Charlotte said.

"A cab is meeting us at the main gate." Lorelai said, still in shock that her daughter had just admitted she wanted to go to Yale, the one place she thought neither daughter would ever go to.

"Good. Bye Grandma." Charlotte said before walking off.

"Yeah bye Grandma." Rory sighed before following her sister.

"Goodbye girls." Emily sighed as she then watched her daughter follow them. She turned and glared at her husband. "Don't you even look at me." She said angrily.

* * *

They walked into the diner in silence. Charlotte saw Jess come downstairs just as they entered. "I'm going for a walk." She told her mom and Rory.

"Charlotte..." Lorelai tried.

"I'll meet you at home." She said before hastily leaving with Jess.

Lorelai sighed but sat down at a table with Rory.

"I can't believe I had a meeting at Yale today." Rory said.

"I know." Lorelai said.

"And I can't believe the only name that popped into my head when he asked for my role model was Gloria Estefan." Rory said trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, you don't work great under pressure." Lorelai said.

Rory sighed. "Sucky day." She said.

"At least they had excellent tacos." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, Hector really came through." Rory gave her mom a small smile before they shared out the tacos.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked coming up to the table.

"We're coming from a day with my parents. Want a taco?" Lorelai asked.

"Uh...no thanks. See, I already have food here. We sell it to the other customers who don't come quite as prepared as the two of you." Luke said dryly.

"Sure, sure. Be nice and get us some salsa." Lorelai smiled sweetly up at him.

"At least order a cup of coffee." He said.

"Coffee and tacos?" Rory screwed up her nose.

"Sounds just gross enough to work." Lorelai commented.

"Alright. Bring us some coffee!" Rory grinned at Luke.

"Hey Luke, what's the record for most tacos eaten in a diner that doesn't actually sell tacos?" Lorelai asked him as he returned to the table with some coffee.

"I have no idea." He said.

"Find out, will you, because if it's less than five, we're famous!" She grinned.

"Where did you get those things anyhow?" Luke asked.

"New Haven." Rory told him.

"Really?" He said surprised.

"We paid a little visit to Yale today." Lorelai said sullenly.

"Yes, one that I would prefer not to relive, thank you very much." Rory sighed. "I'm going to go and study." She said. "See you at home?"

"Ok hon." Lorelai said.

"Bye Luke."

"Bye." Luke said. He glanced at Lorelai and then sat down in Rory's empty seat. "So you all went to Yale today?"

"Yep." Lorelai said.

"And I'm guessing by the look on your face, it wasn't a fun trip?" He asked.

Lorelai sighed. "It was nice to begin with." She admitted. "Well as nice as a trip with my parents could be. But the girls were enjoying it and my parents were in a good mood."

"But..."

"But then my father announces he'd arranged a meeting with the Dean of Admissions for Rory and Charlotte." She said.

"Oh dear..." Luke said.

"That's not all." Lorelai said.

"What else?"

"Well the girls come out of the meeting and Charlotte just loses it." Lorelai told him.

"Because of the meeting?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. I figured it was because she hadn't wanted it." Lorelai said. "But then she admits she wants to go to Yale and that she had probably just blown her chance." She sighed.

"Oh." Luke said suddenly understanding. "She hadn't told you?" He asked softly.

"I had no idea." Lorelai said quietly. "Charlotte hadn't really talked to anyone much about her college plans. Now I understand why."

"Well...does it really matter if she does go there?" Luke asked cautiously. "Look I know why you have a problem with it but if Charlotte would be happy there, isn't that good?" He added quickly after Lorelai gave him a look. "I know you want her to be happy." He said softly.

Lorelai sighed. "Of course I want her to be happy." She said. "I just...I never thought she'd want...Yale." She admitted.

Luke gave her a sympathetic smile. "Hey, I've got some boysenberry pie left. Want a piece?" He asked.

Lorelai smiled softly at him. "You always know how to cheer me up."

"Hey what are partners for?" Luke teased.

Lorelai smirked. "Thank you." She said softly.

"It'll all work out. I'm sure of it." He said, giving her a kiss before going to get her some pie.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Charlotte and Jess were sat on the bench in the gazebo.

"So I'm guessing it wasn't a good trip?" Jess commented, glancing at her.

"You could say that." Charlotte mumbled.

"What happened?" He asked.

She sighed. "I've blown my chance of ever getting into Yale." She said.

"What?" He asked confused.

"My Grandpa thought it would be cool to set Rory and me up with a meeting with the Dean of Admissions. I totally froze and it was the worst interview ever. He'll never want me there now. And to top it all off, I blurted out to my mom that I wanted to go to Yale." She said.

"Wow." Jess said. "That was some trip."

"I'm not in the mood for jokes now, please." Charlotte said, blinking back some tears.

"Hey.." Jess said putting his arm round her. "I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you thought. Anyway, that meeting doesn't mean everything. You need to fill out an application form. It's not just him who decides."

"You don't even want me to go." Charlotte said. "Why do you care?" She said bitterly. "I expected you to be happy."

"Hey! I never said I didn't want you to go there!" Jess defended.

"You implied it." Charlotte said.

Jess sighed. "Ok, I admit maybe talking about colleges isn't exactly my favourite thing ever because I know it means you'll be going off to do your own thing without me." He said. He glanced at her. "I'm sorry I was short with you yesterday. I just...I'm going to miss you." He admitted.

Charlotte sighed and snuggled into him. "I'm going to miss you too." She said softly.

"Don't worry about your meeting. You'll get into Yale. I just feel it." Jess said. "Besides, you at Yale might not be the worse thing. It's close to here."

"True..." Charlotte said.

"22.8 miles." He commented.

"What?" Charlotte asked looking up at him. "How do you know that?"

"Do you yahoo?" He said.

"You looked it up?" She asked touched.

"It was just a few clicks on the computer." Jess shrugged it off.

"You looked it up." Charlotte smiled softly.

"I was bored! There was nothing on tv." He said.

"You looked it up." She smiled snuggling back into him.

"Yeah ok..." Jess smirked, kissing the top of her head. "Yale would be stupid to let you go." He said. "You'll go there, don't worry."

"I love you." Charlotte said softly.

"I love you too." Jess said.

* * *

About half an hour later, Charlotte returned home and found Rory sat on the couch studying. "Hey..." She said.

"Hey." Rory smiled at her sister.

"Where's mom?" Charlotte asked.

"Still at Luke's. She rang to say she was leaving soon though." Rory told her.

Charlotte just nodded and went and sat down on the couch next to her.

Rory glanced at her. "So you really want to go to Yale?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah." She said quietly. "I really do."

"That art gallery was pretty impressive." Rory said.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah it was." She said softly.

"You should apply." Rory told her.

"Mom would kill me..." Charlotte said.

"No she wouldn't. She was surprised, yes, but she'll be fine once she gets her head around it. If it will make you happy, she'll be happy." Rory said. "You could have talked to me, you know..."

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly.

"It's ok." She replied.

"Can I talk to you about something else?" Charlotte asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Rory nodded.

"It's pretty personal." She said.

"You can talk to me about anything. You know that."

Charlotte took a deep breath. "Have you ever talked to Tristan about...well...you know?" She asked nervously.

"About what?" Rory asked.

"About...you know. What couples end up doing...you know when they move on in their relationship..." Charlotte said.

"Oh." Rory said. "Oh!" She said suddenly understanding. "Are you saying you and Jess have done...?"

"Not yet." Charlotte said. "But I feel...ready." She admitted. "I love him so much." She said softly.

"Wow..." Rory said quietly. "Did you want my blessing or something because that's kind of weird..." She teased.

Charlotte laughed. "No." She said quickly. "I just wanted...I don't know...some sisterly advice I guess." She admitted.

"Well...I can't talk from experience. I'm not ready for that yet, at least not yet. But Tristan and I have talked about it. He's been very supportive and lovely about it." Rory said.

"You think I shouldn't be ready yet? That I shouldn't do...it...yet?" Charlotte asked, biting her lip.

"No!" Rory said. "That's not what I'm saying." She said. "Everyone's different and you and Jess have been together longer than me and Tristan. But I will say this. Make sure you're 100% sure."

"I am." Charlotte said quietly.

"Just...be careful ok? Be safe." Rory said softly.

Charlotte gave her sister a small smile. "Thanks Ror." She said softly. "I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow or this week or anything. I just...I feel ready."

"Well you'll know when it's the time." Rory smiled.

"Yeah." Charlotte smiled.

"You want to watch some tv?" Rory asked.

"Yes please!" Charlotte said, happy to change the subject.

Rory put her books down and turned on the tv. She glanced across at her sister, before slowly scooting up and resting her head on her shoulder. "I love you Charlie." She said softly.

"Back at you, sis." Charlotte smiled softly.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep reviewing! I really do appreciate your feedback. :) I can't believe I'm over 100 reviews so thank you so much!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Wow thank you so much for your support so far! It's really overwhelming so thank you! :)**

Chapter 20

Tristan was walking along the street heading to the Crap Shack to spend some time with Rory that evening. He was lost in thought when suddenly caught his eye. Across the street he saw Jess leaving Sophie's music shop with Lane. He watched as they laughed together. He went closer, making sure he stayed out of sight, and heard the end of the conversation.

"So same time tomorrow?" Lane asked.

"Yeah. And remember..." Jess said.

"No telling Charlotte. I know. That's sort of a given." Lane joked.

Jess chuckled. "Yeah. And no telling Rory either because she would tell Charlotte." He said.

"Got it." Lane nodded. "So tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." He nodded.

"Bye Jess." She smiled.

"Bye." Jess said before they both walked off in opposite directions.

Tristan didn't know what to think. What was it that they were doing that they couldn't tell Charlotte or Rory? He hated to think of the worst situation. He watched Jess disappear into the diner before he continued to walk to the Crap Shack.

Once there, he was greeted by Rory. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey." He smiled giving her a kiss. He followed Rory into the living room where Lorelai and Charlotte were.

"Hi Tristan!" Lorelai gave him a warm smile.

"Hi." He smiled. "Hey Charlotte."

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"Right I'm going to go order food! Chinese ok for everyone?" Lorelai said getting up. Everyone nodded so she went off to order it.

"So...is Jess coming as well?" Tristan asked sitting down on the couch with Rory.

"No. He's doing an extra shift at Wal-Mart this evening apparently." Charlotte said.

"Oh...right." Tristan said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Oooh I'm going to make sure mom orders some egg fried rice." Charlotte said getting up and disappearing into the kitchen.

Rory glanced at Tristan. "Are you ok?" She asked. "You look conflicted."

Tristan sighed. "Jess isn't at Wal-Mart." He told her.

"What?" Rory frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I saw him when I was on my way here." He said. "He was coming out of Sophie's shop...with Lane."

"Oh..." Rory frowned. "Well maybe he was buying some music before his shift..."

Tristan shook his head. "He went back to the diner afterwards and I heard him talking to Lane. It was...weird..."

"What do you mean?"

"Lane asked him if he wanted to do it the same time tomorrow." Tristan told her. "Jess said yes and then made sure Lane knew not to tell Charlotte or you..."

"That could mean anything..." Rory said.

"Rory..." Tristan sighed. "They were laughing together and looked like they were getting along really well..."

"What, so you're saying Jess is cheating on Charlotte with Lane? No, that's crazy! He wouldn't do that to her. And with Lane? We've been best friends with Lane since we were kids. She wouldn't do that to Charlotte either." Rory said shaking her head.

"I'm just telling you what I saw and heard. It didn't sit right." Tristan said.

"Well ok...but don't mention it to Charlotte. Not yet anyway. It could still mean nothing." Rory said.

"What do we do then?"

"Investigate. See if we notice anything." Rory said. "Then if something is obviously going on...then we talk to Charlotte."

"Ok." Tristan said.

Just then Lorelai and Charlotte appeared back into the room. "Right the food's ordered! Who wants to go collect it?" Lorelai smiled.

* * *

"So she ambushed you, huh?" Rory said as she was walking down the street with her mom and Charlotte the following day.

"She bit me, incapacitated me with her poison, and devoured me whole." Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"Great..." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"I know you're still mad at your Grandpa." Lorelai said. "But my mother did make one good point."

"What was that?" Charlotte asked raising her eyebrows.

"That it wasn't her that arranged the meeting behind your back." Lorelai said. She sighed. "Look this isn't exactly how I want to spend my thanksgiving either but they're going away until after Christmas so this will be the last dinner for a few weeks. Your Grandma seemed to really want us to come."

Charlotte sighed. "Fine." She said.

"Quick question though, how are we going to go to four Thanksgiving dinners?" Rory asked.

"It's not four, is it?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah it sort of is." Charlotte said. "Lane's house, Sookie's, and we always stop by Luke's as well but this year Luke's is sort of a must. That's three, and Grandma and Grandpa is four."

"Oh..." Lorelai said.

Just then Kirk walked out of The Chat Club with several bags.

"Hey Kirk. Discover a new freaky fetish?" Lorelai joked.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Nothing. You buy a cat?" She asked.

"Yup. I'm very excited." He smiled.

"You seem it. So what's all this?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm assuming there's nothing left in the store." Rory smirked.

"Actually, there are a number of things left." Kirk said.

"I think she meant you seem to be buying a lot of stuff." Charlotte smirked.

"Oh, sorry. My excitement must be clouding my ability to judge comedic hyperbole." He said.

"So where did you get the cat?" Rory asked.

"A lady had a bunch of them at the grocery store and Kirk seemed to take an instant liking to me." Kirk smiled.

"Kirk?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yes?" He said.

"No, I mean, the cat's name is Kirk?" She asked.

"Yup."

"Weird coincidence or...?" Lorelai asked.

"I named him Kirk." Kirk clarified.

"Isn't that confusing?" She asked.

"Not when you think about it." He said.

"No, it's still confusing." Lorelai said after pretending to think about it.

"I like the name, and whenever I call Kirk's name, I obviously won't be calling myself." He said.

"True." Charlotte commented.

"Although when my mom calls for Kirk, that may be confusing. Maybe I can get her to say CatKirk when she's calling Kirk, and HumanKirk when she's calling me."

"That would keep it straight." Rory nodded.

"I'm glad I ran into you. See ya." He said.

"See ya, HumanKirk." Lorelai waved.

"Bye HumanKirk." Charlotte grinned.

"He's always been a cat person, he's just never had a cat." Rory commented. "Right I'm going to head to Luke's. You guys coming?" She asked.

"I have to get back to the inn." Lorelai said reluctantly.

"I would but I need to finish this sketch I've been working on." Charlotte said. "It sort of has a deadline."

"Ok. I'll see you at home." Rory smiled.

* * *

Rory entered the diner but stopped when she saw Jess and Lane chatting at the end of the counter, laughing together. She shook her head. Surely Tristan couldn't have been right? Jess and Lane wouldn't do that to Charlotte and besides Lane had told her she was into Dave. She couldn't help but notice the closeness between them though as she watched them chat together. She started to get even more suspicious when she saw Jess notice her and say something to Lane who suddenly looked up. She smiled at Jess before heading towards Rory.

"Hey Rory!" Lane smiled.

"Uh...hi Lane." Rory said.

"I've got to run but I'll see you tomorrow for Thanksgiving right?" She said.

"Yep we'll be there." Rory nodded.

"Great! Bye!" Lane smiled before leaving.

Rory slowly walked up to the counter where Jess was. "So I didn't realise you and Lane were such good friends?" She said cautiously.

"She's pretty cool." Jess shrugged. "She's the only sane one at Stars Hollow High."

"Right, right..." Rory said.

"Everything ok?" Jess asked.

"Sure. Why wouldn't it be?" Rory said.

"You just seem...distracted." He said.

"No, not distracted." She said. She glanced at him. "So our mom's has to be at the inn tonight so Tristan's coming over to hang out with me and Charlotte. Fancy coming?" She asked.

"Oh...I can't." He said.

"Oh. How come?" Rory asked innocently.

"Have to work." He said.

"Oh." Rory said. "Weren't you working last night?"

"Yup." He said. "Someone's called in sick so they asked if I could cover his shifts."

"Oh right. That's nice of you." Rory said.

"Could do with the money." Jess shrugged.

Rory just nodded. "I better get going." She said.

"You don't want any coffee or food?" He asked confused.

"Oh..no..I'm suddenly not that hungry." She said before leaving quickly, leaving a bemused Jess behind.

Rory headed home and found Charlotte on the couch with her sketchbook. "Hey..." She said.

"Oh hey!" Charlotte smiled. "That was quick."

"Yeah...uh...Luke's was packed and I couldn't be bothered to wait." Rory made up an excuse.

"Oh. Ok." Charlotte said.

"So what are you drawing?" Rory asked.

"Promise you won't make fun of me if I show you?" Charlotte said.

"Of course." Rory said sitting down on the couch next to her.

Charlotte turned her sketchbook round to show a sketch of Jess she ha been working on.

"Wow..." Rory said surprised.

"I know it's cheesy but I wanted to give Jess a present before I go away to college." Charlotte admitted. "Do you think it's too much? He'll hate it, won't he?"

"No." Rory said quickly. "It's amazing, Charlie. Really."

"You really think so?" She asked self consciously.

"It's amazing." Rory smiled. "He'll love it." She said. "Well he should..." She muttered.

"What did you say?" Charlotte asked.

Rory sighed. "I need to tell you something..." She said reluctantly.

"What?" Charlotte asked putting her sketchbook down as she could sense her sister's tone.

"So when Tristan was coming to the house yesterday, he saw something..." She said.

"What did he see?" Charlotte asked.

"Jess." Rory said.

"Jess?" Charlotte frowned. "But Jess was working yesterday..."

"I don't think he was..." Rory said quietly. "He saw him leaving Sophie's store with Lane."

"Ok..." Charlotte said. "Well he could have been buying some music before his shift."

"I thought that too. But he heard them chatting and arranging to do the same thing this evening." Rory said. "Tristan said Jess went back to the diner afterwards."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "What are you saying?" She said.

"Tristan thought it was odd. I told him not to think about it but then I saw Jess in the diner today...with Lane. They were chatting and laughing together but when they saw me, Lane made a hasty exit." Rory said quietly. "I don't know what to think but Tristan said he heard Jess making sure Lane wasn't going to say anything to you or me."

"You're saying Jess is cheating on me..." Charlotte said quietly.

"I don't know." Rory admitted. "I don't know what to think but it's weird. Jess has never hung out with Lane this much before. I mean, has he mentioned hanging out with Lane to you at all?"

"No." Charlotte admitted.

Rory sighed. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't want to be the one to tell you but I had to. I couldn't keep this from you."

Charlotte shook her head. "I don't believe it. Jess wouldn't do that. And Lane? We've been friends for years!"

"I know but..." Rory said.

"No. There will be an explanation for this. Lane's into Dave anyway!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Charlie..." Rory said softly.

"No! I don't believe it!" Charlotte exclaimed getting up and disappearing to their bedroom.

Once she was in there, she took out her cell phone. She hesitated before dialling a number.

"Hey!" Jess answered.

"Hey." Charlotte replied. "How's it going?"

"Good. You?" He asked.

"Yeah good." She said. "So..uh..how was work yesterday?" She asked.

"Same old." He said. "Boring."

"Right." Charlotte said. "So do you want to hang out tonight?" She asked.

"I can't, sorry." Jess said.

"Oh...ok."

"I have to work again." He told her.

"Oh. Ok." Charlotte said.

"Sorry."

"No it's ok."

"I'll see you tomorrow though. You're coming to Luke's for dinner right?" He asked.

"Yep." She said.

"Ok, so I'll see you then?"

"Sure."

"You ok?" He asked.

"Absolutely. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Ok. Bye." Jess said.

Charlotte stared at her cell after the call. She sat on her bed for a moment before getting up and heading through to the living room. "I'm going out for a bit." She told Rory.

"Where?" Rory asked.

"Just out. I won't be long." Charlotte said before leaving the house. She then walked all the way to Wal-Mart. She went inside nervously. She looked around and then walked up to a guy in uniform. "Hi..uh..I wasn't sure who to talk to but I was just wondering who to ask a favour about my boyfriend not working a shift tonight?" She said.

"That will be the manager." The guy said pointing out an older man.

"Ok. Thanks." Charlotte said. She took a deep breath before going up to him. "Hi, are you the person I should talk to about who works when here?"

"Yes I am. Is there a problem?" He asked.

"I was just wondering...my boyfriend..uh..Jess Mariano had to work here last night and he's said he has to work tonight as well. I know he's a good worker and all but I was wondering if you could let him off tonight? I had something planned." She lied.

"Jess Mariano?" The man frowned.

"Yeah..." Charlotte said.

"Jess wasn't scheduled to work yesterday or tonight. I don't know what he's told you but he's not scheduled to work until next week." The man said.

"Oh..." Charlotte said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I'm sorry if you thought..."

"No it's fine." Charlotte forced a smile onto her face. "I must have misunderstood. Sorry to have bothered you."

"It's no problem." He said.

Charlotte left Wal-Mart and then collapsed onto the bench outside. She didn't know what to think. Could Rory have been right? Could Jess be cheating on her?

* * *

That evening, Charlotte was sat on the armchair in the living room of their house while Rory and Tristan sat snuggled up on the couch together. She saw Rory keep glancing over at her. "What?" She exclaimed.

"Nothing." Rory said.

"You keep glancing at me!"

Rory sighed. "I'm just worried about you. You've been really quiet since this morning."

"Can you blame me?" Charlotte retorted.

"Sorry." Rory said quietly. "Look, I'm sorry I implied Jess could be...well you know..."

Charlotte sighed. "He didn't work at Wal-Mart yesterday and he's not scheduled to work tonight either." She admitted.

"What?" Rory asked.

"I went to Wal-Mart and ask the manager. He said Jess isn't scheduled to work until next week." Charlotte said quietly.

"Oh." Rory said quietly.

"I can't do this anymore. This not knowing is killing me!" Charlotte said getting up and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this! I'm going to catch them out." Charlotte said angrily, grabbing her jacket and then leaving the house.

Rory glanced at Tristan before getting up. "I think we should go after her." She said.

Tristan nodded. "Right behind you!" He said.

They caught up with Charlotte and reached Sophie's store in record time.

"Charlotte, wait!" Rory said.

"What?"

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Rory asked.

"Well what do you propose I do? Ignore it and let whatever's going on carry on? Have Jess continue to lie to me?" Charlotte exclaimed angrily. "I need to know!"

Rory looked at her sister for a moment and then nodded. "Ok. But whatever you find out, we're here for you ok?"

Charlotte just nodded. She then pushed the door open roughly. "Ok whatever's going on can stop right now!" She exclaimed angrily storming into the store. She stopped when she found Jess sat with Lane but it wasn't what she had expected. Jess was playing the guitar and Lane was on the drums and they were with the rest of Lane's band as well.

"Charlotte! What are you doing here?" Jess asked surprised.

"What...how...You're playing the guitar..." Charlotte said confused.

"What are you doing here?" Jess asked again.

"I went to Wal-Mart." She said. "You didn't work yesterday and you weren't scheduled to work today. Tristan saw you yesterday leaving here with Lane and Rory saw you in the diner laughing with Lane...What are you doing?"

"This was meant to be a surprise." Jess said.

"Surprise?"

"I've been working on this song. I've been coming here for a couple of weeks to borrow the guitar and practise it. Lane caught me one evening so I had to tell her what I was doing. She offered to get the band to help me practise. I was going to play the song to you before you went off to college." Jess admitted.

"I thought...When I found out you were lying to me and Rory and Tristan were saying these things, I thought..." She said quietly.

"You thought I was cheating on you." Jess guessed.

"Oh god...I can't believe...I need to go." Charlotte said embarrassed. "I'm so sorry!" She said before running out of the store.

"Charlotte wait!" Rory exclaimed chasing after her with Tristan.

"I can't believe I listened to you!" Charlotte exclaimed. "You made me doubt him! You made me actually think that Jess could be...I can't believe I listened to you!"

"I'm sorry!" Rory said guiltily. "But everything was pointing to it being true..."

"No it wasn't! I knew! I knew deep down that Jess wouldn't do that! That Lane wouldn't do that! He was doing something nice. For me! And now I've ruined it! I've ruined everything!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I'm going home! Don't follow me!"

Rory watched her sister storm off and turned to Tristan. "I feel awful." She said quietly.

"It's not you fault." Tristan assured her. "You were just trying to look out for her."

"I got it wrong. We got it so wrong." Rory said quietly.

Tristan sighed. "Come on, let's go get some coffee. Give her some space." He said.

Rory just nodded and walked off with Tristan.

* * *

On Thanksgiving morning Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were walking towards the market. Rory and Charlotte hadn't talked since last night.

"So...what's on the list?" Rory asked, trying to ease some tension.

"Flowers for everyone we're visiting and cranberry sauce for the Kims." Lorelai said.

"Charlotte and I will do the flowers." Rory said.

"No. I'll do the flowers. You two do Doose's." Charlotte spoke for the first time.

"Charlotte..." Rory said.

"I'll do the flowers." Charlotte repeated.

"Ok...you do the flowers. We'll do Doose's." Lorelai said frowning. She didn't know what was going on between her daughters but she knew something was.

Charlotte looked at the flowers when she felt some footsteps behind her.

"Flowers huh? You buying them for your other boyfriend?" A familiar voice.

Charlotte turned round. "Jess..." She said quietly.

"Or are you buying them for me to give to Lane?" He asked.J

Charlotte glanced down at the floor. "I deserved that." She said.

"You think?" Jess asked, raising his eyebrows.

Charlotte looked up at him. "Jess...I'm so sorry. I knew you would never...well, you know...but I didn't know what to think. I was confused and then I got angry and I wasn't thinking and..." She rambled.

"It's fine." Jess sighed.

Charlotte glanced at him. "It's not. I wouldn't blame you if you dumped me right here and now. I deserve it."

"I was hurt you thought I could cheat on you. And with Lane of all people. But I get it..." He shrugged.

"You do?" She asked surprised.

"You find out I've been hanging out with Lane and lying to you about work. I would probably think the same thing if roles were reversed." He said.

"I'm so sorry, Jess." She said quietly. "I love you so much and I'm so sorry I ruined your surprise." She said. "We're going to be ok, right? Please say we'll be ok."

Jess pulled her towards him and kissed her. "Does that answer your question?" He smirked.

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Yeah." She said softly. "I really am sorry."

"It's ok." Jess said. "Look, don't blame Rory ok? She was just looking out for you. She didn't know anything about what I was doing so I'm sure it looked dodgy to her. Think about if you had heard this stuff about Tristan. Would you really not tell Rory?" He pointed out.

Charlotte sighed. "I guess." She said.

"So see you this afternoon?" Jess asked.

"We'll be there." Charlotte smiled.

"Cool." Jess said giving her another kiss before heading off back to the diner.

Charlotte smiled after him just as Lorelai and Rory emerged from Doose's.

"Hey, someone looks happier." Lorelai commented.

Charlotte smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry." She said.

"So I'm guessing whatever was going on has cleared itself up?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah.." Charlotte admitted. She glanced at Rory. "I'm sorry I shouted at you. What happened wasn't your fault. You were just looking out for me."

Rory gave her a relieved smile. "I was, I swear. I'm sorry I got it so wrong."

"It's ok." Charlotte said. "I guess I would have done the same thing if it was Tristan."

Rory gave her a small smile. "So we're ok?"

"Yeah we're ok." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Good! So now that's all sorted, let's get to the Kims!" Lorelai smiled.

* * *

Mrs. Kim opened the door and found Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory stood on the porch. "Ah, the Gilmores. Happy Thanksgiving." She smiled politely.

"Happy Thanksgiving." Lorelai smiled.

"Come in." Mrs Kim said.

"She's in a good mood this year." Rory commented.

"Downright chipper." Charlotte nodded, subtly looking around to see if Lane was around.

"So...uh...Mrs. Kim, we brought gifts." Lorelai said.

"Flowers." Rory said handing them over.

"And cranberry sauce, our little Thanksgiving tradition." Lorelai smiled.

"Thank you, can never have too much." Mrs Kim said.

"That's what we say." Charlotte said.

"Plus, a chocolate turkey." Lorelai said.

"What should I do with this?" Mrs Kim asked.

"Oh, I don't know, let the kids share it." Lorelai suggested.

"And then send a blank check to their dentist?"

"they don't have to eat it, they can play with it."

"Play with chocolate? It's missing its head." She said.

"Ooh, that one's ours. Here, this one has a head. There you go." Lorelai smiled handing over the other chocolate turkey.

"Ok." Mrs Kim said before walking away.

"My arms are too short to box with Mrs. Kim." Lorelai joked.

"The singing's already begun." Rory commented.

"Who's that playing guitar? He looks familiar." Lorelai said.

"That's Dave." Charlotte said quietly.

"Oh yeah, it is. He's all neat and tidy." Lorelai said.

"He's gone corporate." Rory said.

"He's gone Korean." Lorelai joked.

Lane then walked by and saw them. "Oh hi!" She said.

"Hey yourself. How did you get your mom to let you..." Rory started to ask.

"Come on girls, let's get you some punch." Lane said leading them to the other room.

"What's going on?" Lorelai asked.

"That is not Dave Rygalski." Lane told them.

"Oh, intrigue." Lorelai said.

"Who is it?" Rory asked.

"I mean, not the one that I'm in a band with. That is Dave Rygalski, local Christian guitar player that my mom and I met very briefly and innocently at the dance marathon, and that I coincidentally ran across again when I found his ad seeking Christian guitar accompaniment gigs up on our church bulletin board." She said.

"Complicated." Lorelai said.

"I even put the fake ad up at church and pretended to find it with my mom next to me." Lane said.

"You're good." Rory said.

"So, are you guys dating?" Lorelai asked causing Charlotte to embarrassingly glance down at the floor.

"We're laying the groundwork. If she gets to know him before we date and she approves of him, we won't have to hide anything." Lane said.

"Right...except how you met." Lorelai said.

"And who he really is." Rory said.

"But other than that, it's completely fib-free." Lane said. "Shh!" She suddenly said as Mrs Kim walked by.

"Watch it. You break it, you buy it. Ten percent off for cousins, twenty percent off for nephews and nieces." Mrs Kim said to a family member.

Lorelai and Rory started to walk into the room where the food table was set up. Lane was about to follow when Charlotte stopped her. "Hey Lane?" She said.

"Yeah?" Lane said turning round.

"I..uh...I need to apologise to you." Charlotte said quietly.

"There's no need." Lane said.

"There is. I should never have thought what I did about you and Jess. I know you would never do that." Charlotte said quietly. She looked up at her. "I'm really sorry."

"It's ok." Lane smiled softly at her. "I guess it did look dodgy."

"But I should never have thought that about you." Charlotte said.

"It's fine, Charlie. Honestly." Lane smiled.

"We're ok, right? I'd hate to lose a good friend over something like this." Charlotte said.

"We're ok. We'll always be ok." Lane smiled giving her a hug. "Now come, come have some Tofurkey!" She grinned.

"Tofurkey?" Charlotte asked.

"Don't ask." Lane said leading her into the other room.

* * *

After Lane's, they headed to Sookie's to find that Jackson was deep frying their turkey. After leaving there, they headed over to Luke's.

"Hey everybody." Lorelai smiled.

"Oh, hey there dollfaces. Happy Thanksgiving." Babette smiled at them.

"Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving." Morey smiled.

"Hey." Rory said handing Luke a bouquet of flowers when he walked up to them.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Flowers." Rory said.

"What do I do with them?" He asked.

"Urgh, not this again!" Lorelai said.

"Put them in a vase with water." Charlotte smirked.

"I don't have a vase."

"You do this every year!"

"I don't have vases!"

"Buy a vase!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"But I don't need a vase because I never have flowers." Luke retorted.

"Except when we bring you flowers every year on Thanksgiving. Buy a vase!"

"Stop bringing me flowers!"

"Stop bringing me flowers." Lorelai imitated him. "I knew you were going to say that because you say the same thing. We have this same exact conversation every year!"

"And every year you point that out."

"And every year you point that out!"

"And every year you point that out!" Luke said.

"And then every year we put the flowers on the counter and forget the ugliness ever happened." Rory said.

"Well, at least we have a tradition." Lorelai said.

"Good. I'll be right back. That's our table over there." Luke said pointing to a table.

"You two go ahead. I'll just be a minute." Lorelai smiled before heading over to the counter. "Hi." She smiled.

"Hi?" Luke said.

"Happy Thanksgiving." She said softly.

Luke smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving." He said before leaning over to give her a kiss.

Lorelai then headed over to the table where Jess had joined them. "Hi, Happy Thanksgiving." Lorelai smiled.

"Happy Thanksgiving." Jess nodded.

Just then Luke and Caesar brought the plates over.

"God, I'm starved." Jess said.

"You could have eaten." Luke said.

"You kept telling me not to eat." Jess said.

"I did not." Luke said.

"You did to. You said we were waiting for them." Jess said.

"Aw, you didn't have to wait for us." Lorelai said.

"We weren't waiting for you, it just worked out this way." Luke said.

"Right." Jess smirked.

"Looks great." Rory commented.

"Tasty." Lorelai nodded agreeing.

"Shouldn't we give thanks first?" Luke asked.

"Thanks for what?" Jess asked.

"Well, that we're not Native Americans who got their land stolen in exchange for smallpox infested blankets." Luke said.

"Amen!" Lorelai grinned before tucking into the food.

"So where have you guys been already?" Luke asked.

"We hit the Kim's, we hit Sookie's, and we go to the grandparents from here." Charlotte said.

"Full day." Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah. Well, you can skip eating this one if you want. Just have cokes or something, it's no big deal." Luke said.

"No! No way, you're the main event today, my friend!" Lorelai said. "You always have been." She smiled across at him.

"Oh...good." Luke said smiling back.

"Yams are good." Rory said.

"Definitely. Got some more marshmallows?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I can grab some. Hey, refill some coffees." He said to Jess.

"Sure." Jess said getting up.

"This is nice." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah it is." Charlotte smiled.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were walking down the street later that evening after an eventful meal at the Gilmore Mansion. Charlotte glanced across at her mom and Rory who weren't saying anything. Their mom had just got used to the idea of her wanting to go to Yale so when she found out Rory had applied there as well, she just lost it.

"Are you mad?" Rory broke the silence.

"No, I'm not mad." Lorelai said.

"You seem mad." Rory commented cautiously.

"I'm not mad." She repeated.

"What are you feeling?" Rory asked.

"I wouldn't know how to word it." Lorelai said.

"Try." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "See, my head knows that whichever one of these places you go, Harvard, Princeton, Yale...it's going to be great." She said. "It's going to be awesome, and you're going to come out on the other side an even more amazing you. But I just wish my head could sit down and have a chat with that gnawing feeling in my gut that every time my parents get involved in anything and tell it, it's going to be okay."

"It's going to be ok." Rory tried.

"Nice try." Lorelai said with a slight smirk. She sighed. "I just never thought both of my daughters would apply to Yale. I just need to get my head round it, that's all."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Rory said.

"It's ok." She said.

They reached Luke's and found Luke and Jess on the steps of the diner. "Hi guys." She smiled.

"We're out of food." Luke said immediately.

"Oh please, we're not eating for a year." Lorelai grinned.

"Or until tomorrow morning." Charlotte quipped.

"Whichever comes first." Lorelai grinned. "Hi Saint Nick." She smirked at Jess who had trash bags over his shoulder.

"Tell him he needs to get more trash cans." Jess grumbled.

"Just go." Luke rolled his eyes.

"You got any coffee?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"That I've got. Come on in. Hey, did I see flames coming from Sookie's place about a half hour ago?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lorelai asked before going into the diner with Rory.

Charlotte followed Jess down the sidewalk. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey." Jess smiled putting his trash bags down and kissing her. "So how was dinner at your grandparents?" He asked as they walked towards the trash cans.

"Eventful." Charlotte replied.

"So what else is new?" Jess smirked.

Charlotte grinned. "So when did you start playing guitar?" She asked as Jess threw the trash bags into Taylor's trash cans.

"Since I was a kid. It was the only thing to cure the boredom at home." Jess said. "My mom sold my guitar one day though without telling me. She needed money for booze."

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said shocked.

Jess shrugged. "I came across Sophie's and she said I could borrow a guitar from her store and practise there in the evenings."

"Do you sing too?" She asked.

"A bit but not much. I prefer just playing." Jess said.

"Well from what I heard, you were pretty great." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Jess smiled as they headed back to the diner.

Lorelai and Rory were sat at the counter drinking coffee when they walked in.

"So, how did the four dinners work out? You guys must feel more stuffed than you've ever been." Luke said.

"I don't know. Is this more stuffed than the great Six Flags hot dog consumption of '99?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"No, or the taffy binge of '97." Rory commented.

"Not by a long shot." Charlotte said joining them at the counter.

"See, we didn't eat at my parents because of the upset, so we really had three dinners, not four." Lorelai told Luke.

"Which means..." Rory said.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"We didn't have to skip rolls." Charlotte said understanding what Rory was saying.

"Oh yeah. Hey, do you have any rolls left?" Lorelai grinned at Luke.

"No, come on!" Luke said.

"Just a little something for the walk home." Lorelai said.

Luke handed her a bag of rolls. "I don't see how you do it." He smirked.

"Well, you're not us, are you?" She grinned. "Night hon." She smiled.

"Night Luke!" Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah night!" Rory smiled.

"Night." He smiled and watched them leave.

They passed the gazebo as they headed home.

"This has been a nice Thanksgiving." Lorelai smiled.

"Very." Rory nodded.

"Nicer for some than others though." Lorelai commented.

"Yeah." Rory said.

"Night Kirk!" Charlotte smirked, glancing over at the gazebo where Kirk was sleeping.

"Night." He replied.

"Let's get home." Lorelai smiled putting her arms around both of her daughters.

 **So I hoped you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading them so thank you! :)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 21

Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, and Lane were walking through the centre of town.

"Are you serious?" Lane asked excitedly.

"I am serious." Lorelai said.

"We can really rehearse in your garage?" She asked happily.

"In exchange for the promise that you never pose naked on the cover of Rolling Stone no matter how much trouble your career is in." Lorelai joked.

"I promise. I love you. Do you know how amazing your mother is?" Lane grinned at Rory and Charlotte.

"No. Tell them, would you? They forgot this morning." Lorelai said.

"Because hot water is enjoyed by all, not just by you." Charlotte commented.

"I wasn't in the shower that long!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You really were." Rory said. "Man, it's winter carnival time again already." She smiled.

"Yep." Lane said.

"Are you going?" Rory asked.

"I have to. We are raising money for the marching band this year, mandatory booth manning is involved." Lane groaned.

"Wow Lane, marching band and rock band!" Charlotte teased.

"Music is my life." Lane nodded.

"Hi Mrs. Kim!" Lorelai called causing Lane to gasp and turn round.

"So not funny!" Lane exclaimed when she realised Lorelai had tricked her.

"What are you raising money for the marching band for?" Rory asked.

"Please let it be new uniforms." Lorelai quipped.

"It's for letters so we can finally have letter carriers. For some reason, the powers that be think that the reason we never win at competitions is because no one knows who we are. The fact that we suck has never occurred to them." Lane said. She then turned to Lorelai and frowned. "What's wrong with our uniforms?" She asked.

"Nothing." Lorelai said quickly.

"We look stupid, right?"

"No."

"The plumes are too big and it looks like big red fountains of blood spurting out of our heads." Lane said.

"I love the uniforms!" Lorelai said.

"It's bad enough I have to be in marching band at all without being mocked for what is mandatory for us to wear!" Lane exclaimed.

"No...I didn't mean...urgh, remind her that she gets to rehearse in our garage because I think I'm losing points here!" Lorelai said.

"Your uniforms are great and people knowing who you are can only help. Now let's just enjoy the snow, okay?" Rory said.

"Ok." Lane said.

"Good." Lorelai said relieved.

"Especially since some of us have been freezing since our showers this morning." Charlotte joked.

"I wasn't in there that long!"

"I'm sorry, can we get back to the band uniforms? Because on a scale of one to ten, how much do I not want to let Dave see me like that?" Lane asked.

"Ten." Lorelai, Rory and Charlotte said in unison.

"Ok, thanks." Lane said. "I have to go. I'll see you guys later.

"See you later." Rory smiled and followed Lorelai into the diner.

"Oh and Charlotte, let Jess know he can practise with us anytime!" Lane said.

"I will." Charlotte smiled.

"See you!"

"Bye!" Charlotte smiled.

* * *

After school, Charlotte and Jess were walking through the town square kissing as they did.

"You know what just occurred to me? That we are very fortunate to have good teeth." Charlotte said.

"Yes, very fortunate." Jess said.

"Can you imagine if braces were involved in this interaction?" Charlotte joked.

"It would be a bloodbath." Jess agreed.

"I can't catch my breath!" Charlotte laughed as she backed into the stairs of the gazebo, Jess still kissing her.

"You're not supposed to." Jess smirked.

"Hey, listen, Thursday night is the Stars Hollow High Winter Carnival..." Charlotte said.

"Oh yeah?" He said.

"Yeah, I thought we could go." She said. "Lane's going so Rory and I were going to go see her."

"Nope." Jess said he continued to kiss her neck.

"But it would be really fun. They'll have really bad games and really bad food and the marching band will play and..." Charlotte tried.

"Charlie, I'm doing some of my best work here and you're just talking right through it." He sighed.

"Come on, let's go to the carnival!" Charlotte said as they continued walking through the town, their arms round each other.

"I don't go to these stupid town things." He groaned.

"You went to the Bid-A-Basket festival. You went to the dance marathon or at least you sat and watched Rory and I try and help mom win at the dance marathon."

"Yeah but the Bid-A-Basket was because I had to apologise to you and the dance marathon was to mock you." He smirked.

"Come on Jess, please!" Charlotte said. "I'll let you continue kiss me if you agree." She grinned.

"Seriously?" Jess asked. "You're withholding kisses now?"

"Yep!" She grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun. Please?"

"We can have our own fun." Jess suggested. "Your mom's probably going to drag Luke to the carnival. Which would mean the flat and your house will be empty." He smirked.

"Jess!" Charlotte laughed. "I can't miss the winter carnival."

"Charlie, come on." Jess groaned.

"Well, I never have before. I can't. Please come with me." She pleaded.

Jess groaned. "Fine but we're not staying long." He said.

"I love you!" Charlotte grinned.

"Am I allowed to kiss you now?" He asked.

"Oh be my guest!" She grinned and Jess resumed his kissing.

They entered Luke's and managed to tear their faces away from each other for a minute.

"So, do you want some help with your homework?" He asked.

"You're going to help me?" Charlotte asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yup." He said.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but how?" She smirked.

"Come upstairs and I'll show you." He smirked.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you know how important my education is to me." Charlotte smirked and started to follow him to the stairs up to the apartment.

"Yes, I do." Jess nodded.

Just then, though, Lorelai and Rory walked in with some shopping bags.

"Charlotte, hey!" Lorelai said. "Thank God, I need your help. Both of yours." She said but then noticed that her daughter had been heading upstairs. "Where you going?" She asked.

"Nowhere." Charlotte sighed.

"See ya." Jess said before disappearing upstairs.

"Were you guys going to go upstairs and kiss?" Lorelai teased.

"Wow, look at all the bags." Charlotte changed the subject.

"Yeah, I went shopping for my father's birthday present today which was great for about fifteen minutes until it all came back to me." Lorelai said.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"The fact that I totally suck at buying my father presents."

"He'll like whatever you get him." Rory said as they all sat down at a table.

"If I slip him a sedative, he'll like whatever I get him." Lorelai joked.

"They're not that bad." Charlotte laughed.

"My intentions are always good and I never put a price limit on it. I even went so far as to follow older men around the store who kind of looked like my dad to see what they were buying, which didn't help me with ideas, but I did get asked to the antique car show." She said.

"Just show us what you got." Rory said.

"Fine. Option number one, a state of the art, high tech, titanium bathroom scale!" She said pulling it out of one of the bags.

"Huh." Charlotte said.

"What? He has weight." Lorelai defended.

"Yes, but I'm not sure that his birthday is the time to remind him of it." Rory smirked.

"Ok, option number two, a fabulous mechanical coin sorter. You put the coins in, it sorts them. What?" She asked when she saw her daughters' faces.

"Well, it's a little generic." Charlotte commented.

"Generic in a good way, or..." Lorelai said hopefully.

"What's the third option?" Rory asked.

"See, I should have pulled the coin sorter out last, because..." Lorelai sighed.

"Mom..."

"Ok." Lorelai sighed pulling out her third present.

"A tie." Charlotte smirked.

"Yes, it's silk." Lorelai said.

"It's nice." Rory commented.

"It is?"

"What's that?" Luke asked coming up to the table.

"It's a tie for my father's birthday." Lorelai told him.

"What, no Aramis this year?" He asked.

"No, he likes ties." Lorelai said.

"You know, if you get the big bottle, it usually comes with a tote bag and a soap on a rope." Luke smirked.

"Go away." Lorelai pouted. "My gifts suck."

"It's the thought that counts." Rory said.

"What did you get him?"

"We sort of got him a joint present." Rory admitted.

"Well what did you get?"

"Nothing big." Charlotte said.

"Well, what?"

"Just a thing." Charlotte said vaguely.

"What kind of thing?" Lorelai asked.

"Chuck Berry Live at the Fillmore on vinyl." Rory admitted.

"Oh my god, that's perfect! He loves Chuck Berry. How did you come up with that?" She asked.

"We called him and asked him what he wanted." Charlotte grinned.

"That's cheating." Lorelai pouted.

"Tough." Rory grinned.

"Well, now what am I going to do? I can't give him a tie when you give him the world's most perfect present we already know he likes." She sighed.

"You want us to go find something for you?" Rory asked.

"You would do that?"

"Sure. He gave us a couple other suggestions. We can go see if we can find one of them." Rory smiled.

"Urgh, I love you. You are my angels!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Hey, you had one more that you didn't show us." Charlotte said spotting a fourth bag.

"Oh, yeah! It lights up and sings!" She grinned.

"Enough said." Charlotte smirked.

* * *

Lorelai was in the kitchen at the inn when Michel walked up with the phone. "Your mother is on the phone." He said.

"Oh, can you take a message?" Lorelai asked.

"You mean, do I have the physical and mental capabilities to take a message? Why, yes, I do, however..." He said dryly.

"I got it." She rolled her eyes, taking the phone. "Hey Mom." She answered.

"She wants to meet Luke and girls' boyfriends!" Emily exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

"Next Thursday in the after the girls finish school!" Emily exclaimed.

"Ah, Gran." Lorelai said suddenly understanding. Trix had arrived unexpectedly last night for her father's birthday, much to Emily's horror.

"Yes who else would I be talking about?!" Emily exclaimed. "But I want to meet them first. It's only right that Richard and I meet them first so you're to come tomorrow for dinner."

"But tomorrow isn't Friday." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai!"

"Mom, what's the big deal? Why can't you meet them when Gran meets them?"

"Because she will know! She will know I haven't met them and revel in the fact!"

"You can't expect them all to be free two evenings this week. It's not fair." Lorelai tried, already dreading the meeting. She knew her mother wasn't exactly Luke and Jess' biggest fan.

"I'll call you later to confirm the times. Tomorrow and Thursday, Lorelai." Emily said firmly.

"Mom, no!" Lorelai tried to protest.

"I'll call later. Goodbye Lorelai." Emily said before hanging up.

"Mom! Mom, wait!" Lorelai exclaimed but groaned when she heard the dialling tone. "Great..." She muttered thinking about how on earth she was going to tell Luke and the girls.

* * *

The following evening Lorelai, Luke, Charlotte, Jess, Rory and Tristan were all stood on the porch step of the Gilmore Mansion.

"Have I apologised enough for this?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"It'll be fine." Luke said.

"Have I apologised enough to you?" Charlotte asked Jess.

"You'll pay." Jess smirked.

Just then, Emily answered the door. "You're here!" She said.

"We didn't even ring the doorbell yet." Lorelai said.

"I know but I heard voices and I was near the door so I thought I would come and check." Emily said. "Well don't just stand there. Come in."

"Yes mom." Lorelai sighed and they all went inside. "So where's Gran?" She asked looking around.

"Out with some friends. Apparently she will be a few hours." Emily said.

Lorelai just nodded. "So..uh..this is Luke..." She started to introduce.

"Tristan! It's so lovely to see you." Emily smiled warmly at him, ignoring Lorelai.

"Oh..uh..you too, Mrs Gilmore." Tristan said politely.

"Richard enjoys playing golf with your grandfather a lot." She smiled sweetly.

"Likewise." Tristan nodded.

"Uh..mom..there are others here as well, you know." Lorelai said annoyed.

"Yes I know that, Lorelai. I was just greeting Tristan. We do know his family, you know." Emily said.

"Sure." Lorelai said holding her tongue.

"Luke, it's nice to see you." Emily smiled politely at him. "And you must be Jess..." She said turning to Jess.

"Yep." He said. "Nice to meet you." He nodded, holding out his hand.

Emily stared at his hand slightly in surprise but also disdain but she saw Charlotte smiling at him so she shook his hand quickly. "You too. I've heard a lot about you." She said stiffly.

"I'm sure." Jess said dryly.

"Why don't we go have some drinks?" Lorelai suggested trying to ease some of the tension.

"Of course. Come on in." Emily said leading them into the living room.

* * *

They were sat down at the dining room table for dinner where Richard had joined them.

"So, how are your parents?" Emily asked Tristan.

"Uh...they're good." Tristan replied politely.

"Great people." Richard commented, smiling.

Tristan just nodded.

"Oh yes, they're lovely. We love your family. Proper, upstanding folk." Emily enthused.

Lorelai and Charlotte exchanged a glance but bit their tongues. Charlotte glanced at Rory and Tristan and they were looking uncomfortable as well.

"And you work at a diner, Luke?" Emily questioned, trying but failing to hide her disdain.

"I run it, yes." Luke nodded.

"I've been there. It's nice. Very rustic." Emily smiled sweetly.

"Thank you." Luke said, knowing rustic meant something different, but holding his tongue.

"And what do you do Jess? You don't go to Chilton, do you?" Emily asked.

"Nope. I go to the school in Stars Hollow." Jess said.

"How nice." Emily said imperiously.

"He works in the diner and in Wal-Mart as well." Charlotte said, giving Jess a supportive smile who returned it.

"How conscientious." Emily commented. "And how do you do in school?"

"I get by." Jess said, biting his tongue.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"Grandma..." Charlotte begged.

"You like to read, don't you Jess?" Richard asked.

"Uh..yes sir." Jess nodded.

"I remember. We were talking about Hemingway that day in the diner when I came to Stars Hollow." Richard smiled.

"I remember." Jess said.

"I assume you have yet to persuade my granddaughters to read him." Richard joked.

Jess smirked. "Not yet."

"I gave him a try!" Rory exclaimed.

"And I'm not a bookworm like you. Give me a break!" Charlotte quipped but smiled gratefully at her grandpa for changing the subject.

Dinner soon came to an end and they all left feeling exhausted.

"I thought you were exaggerating." Luke joked as they got back to Stars Hollow.

"Oh no, I never exaggerate about my parents." Lorelai joked.

"Grandma was definitely on fine form." Charlotte sighed.

"Wouldn't expect anything else." Lorelai said.

* * *

Thursday early evening, they were yet again back at the Gilmore Mansion, sat in the living room with Trix.

"So Lucas, I've heard from Richard that you own a diner in that town that you and Lorelai live in?" Trix said whilst sipping her drinks.

"Yes I do." Luke nodded, waiting for the same disdain that Emily had.

"And Jess, you're Luke's nephew, is that right?" Trix questioned.

"Yes." Jess nodded.

"Do you work in the diner when you are not at school?"

"Yes." Jess answered.

"And Wal-Mart." Charlotte added. "When he's not working at the diner, he's working at Wal-Mart."

"And you keep up with your schoolwork as well?" Trix asked.

"I feel like I do, yes." Jess said.

"Good. Education is important as well. But it's always good to get experience working as well." She said. "And Lucas..." She continued.

"Please, it's Luke. Only my mother called me Lucas." Luke said.

"Very well." Trix said. "Luke, you built the diner up yourself?"

"Yes Mrs Gilmore. It used to be my father's hardware store but I was never really into the hardware business like he was so I turned it into a diner." Luke explained.

"And it does well?"

"Very well, Gran! It's packed everyday. Everyone in our town loves his food." Lorelai said. "And his coffee!" She grinned.

"Oooh especially his coffee!" Charlotte grinned.

"And pie!" Rory grinned.

"I see." Trix said with an amused smile.

"It pays the bills." Luke said humbly.

"Well that's always a bonus." Trix commented.

"And this is Tristan, Mom, Rory's boyfriends. You know the DuGreys?" Emily interrupted, not liking the fact that Trix obviously approved of Luke and Jess.

"Yes. I know the DuGreys." Trix said stiffly. "Do you work out of school, boy?" She asked Tristan.

"Uh..no ma'am." Tristan said uncomfortably.

"Mm..of course not." She said. "Kids who are born into families who have money and high status seem to think they don't need to work."

"Gran, that's not fair. Tristan works hard. And remember, I was born into money and society." Lorelai said trying to defend Tristan and received a grateful smile from Rory in return.

"Yes but you got out of this world and worked hard and you now run that inn." Trix commented. "Now let me guess, Emily approved of you?" She directed her question at Tristan.

"Uh..." Tristan said not really knowing what to say.

"And tell me, what has Emily said about you two?" Trix asked Luke and Jess. "I bet she was all superior and didn't approve of what you did or where you came from."

Luke and Jess exchanged a glance as they saw Emily look awkward and uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about her. Tell me, I'm dying to know. I know Emily prefers men with money but I myself prefer men who like hard work and aren't afraid to work all hours to make a living." Trix laughed. "I have to say, I'm surprised you lasted here under your mother's control for as long as you did Lorelai. Well done for escaping her."

Everyone was silent as they took in what she had just said. Luke glanced at Emily who looked hurt and then at Richard and Lorelai who actually looked shocked. He then looked over at Jess and then back at Trix. "Actually, Emily has been nothing but accommodating and welcoming." He said, surprising everyone in the room, most of all Emily.

"Please! I know Emily. How much did she pay you to say that?" Trix said.

Luke looked across at Jess and tried to urge him to say something. Jess glanced over at Emily and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He could see where her attitude came from. She probably needed it to deal with Richard's mother. "No, my uncle's right. Mrs Gilmore has been very welcoming and nothing but nice." He said. He felt a hand sneak into his and he looked across to see Charlotte smiling lovingly at him.

"Well..uh..this has been fun but I'm afraid we have to get off. There is a winter carnival in our town and we always go every year." Lorelai said getting up. "It was nice to see you, Gran."

"Alright, you get going. It's time for me to retire to bed anyway. Lorelai, Charlotte, Rory, it's been lovely to see you." Trix said getting up. "Richard, would you escort me to my room?"

"Oh of course, mother." Richard said. "Have a good evening." He told them.

"Thanks dad." Lorelai smiled and watched them leave the room. She glanced at her mother. "So..uh..thanks for the drinks, mom." She said.

"You're welcome." Emily said quietly. She watched them start to head to the door. "Luke, Jess, can I have a word?" She asked.

"Mom..." Lorelai said.

"I'll only be a minute, Lorelai." Emily said. "Please."

"It's ok." Luke said. "You go wait in the jeep. We'll be right out."

"Ok.." Lorelai said still not sure but she left with Charlotte, Rory and Tristan.

"Why did you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?" Luke asked.

"Defend me like you did." Emily said.

Luke just shrugged. "I don't like seeing people being looked and talked down to." He said. "No one should have to deal with that."

Emily was quiet and just nodded.

"We should get going." Luke said.

"Of course." Emily said, starting to think she had judged them too harshly. She turned to head upstairs when she heard a voice behind her.

"Mrs Gilmore?"

Emily turned back round to find Jess still standing there. "Yes?"

"I just want you to know I sort of understand now." He said.

"Understand about what?" She asked.

"Why you acted like you did with Luke and me." Jess said. "You've had to deal with Mr Gilmore's mother most of your life so it makes sense for you to act like you do."

"Jess..."

"I know you probably still don't approve of me and I know you probably know about what happened with the car accident but I want you to know I love Charlotte. I really love her and I would never hurt her deliberately. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And nothing you can say or do will stop that from being true." He said.

Emily looked at Jess for a moment and then a small smile appeared on her face. "Very well." She said.

Jess nodded. "I should go." He said.

"Goodbye Jess."

"Bye." He said before heading towards the front door and leaving. He let out a big breath once he closed the door behind him.

* * *

They got back to Stars Hollow and the winter carnival was still in full swing. Lorelai grinned and grabbed hold of Luke's arm. "Come on!" She said.

"Geez, seriously?" Luke grumbled.

"Come on, Luke! It'll be fun!" Lorelai grinned. "There's food and games and..." She trailed off as she started dragging him towards the stalls, followed by Rory and Tristan.

"I'm guessing you'll be dragging me there as well." Jess said.

"Nope." Charlotte said.

"No?" Jess turned to her surprise.

"Let this be your reward." Charlotte said.

"For what?"

"For enduring two dinner with my grandma." Charlotte smirked.

Jess chuckled. "So my reward for that is not having to suffer the winter carnival?" He asked.

"Not just that." Charlotte shrugged.

"What else?"

"Like you said, the diner apartment will be empty. Knowing mom, they'll be out here a while." Charlotte shrugged.

Jess turned to her and frowned. "What are you saying?" He asked.

"Well you have your own space up there don't you? And we won't have any interruptions..." She said.

"Are you serious?" Jess asked surprised. "You know, I was joking before right when I was saying that about the flat and your house. I would never push you into anything..."

"I know." Charlotte reassured her. "But I heard what you said to my grandma."

"Ah geez, you heard? How?" Jess groaned.

"I forgot my sweater." She said. "I heard what you said and I want that too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Jess. And I want to show you how much. I'm ready." She said softly.

"You're sure?" He asked.

Charlotte smiled at his concern and it was because of his concern that she knew. "Yeah, I'm sure." She smiled softly. She took hold of his hand. "What do you say?"

Jess looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "I say, let's go."

"Let's go." Charlotte nodded and she smiled as they walked hand in hand towards the diner, away from the madness of the winter carnival.

 **So I hope you enjoyed that! Please keep the reviews coming and let me know what you think! Your support is really what motivates me so thank you! :)**


	23. Chapter 22

**Thank you for all your reviews and support so far! I really do appreciate it! :)**

Chapter 22

"That was..."

"Amazing?"

Charlotte laughed and looked at Jess who was smirking. "Cocky much?" She joked.

"Well how do you feel it was?" He asked.

"It was...amazing." Charlotte smiled softly, snuggling into him under the duvet in his bed.

"Really?" He asked. "No regrets?"

"Definitely no regrets." Charlotte smiled.

Suddenly the door to the apartment unlocked and Luke and Lorelai walked in laughing and chatting. Charlotte gasped and Jess shot up too, revealing to Luke and Lorelai that they were there.

"What the...ah geez!" Luke exclaimed averting his gaze.

"Oh my god!" Lorelai exclaimed taking in their appearance. Charlotte was wearing just wearing her top and Jess was just wearing some shorts. "Charlotte..."

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte exclaimed, grabbing her trousers and putting them on.

"I could ask you the same question." Lorelai said narrowing her eyes at Jess, who was reaching for his shirt and putting it on quickly.

"Mom, I can explain..." Charlotte said quietly.

"Well go on then! Explain!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"We're 18. What we did wasn't wrong." Jess defended.

"You stay out of it." Lorelai glared at him.

"Mom..." Charlotte said quietly.

"I'm waiting." Lorelai said.

"It was my decision. Don't blame Jess." Charlotte said quickly. "I know you're mad I didn't talk to you first but it just felt...right. I was ready." She tried to explain.

"You're not to see her again." Luke spoke for the first time and he was glaring at Jess as well.

"That's not going to happen. You can't keep us apart." Jess said.

"Yes I can. I knew it. I knew this would end up badly!" Luke exclaimed.

"Wait! This isn't Jess! It was my choice, my decision! Jess was happy to wait! We love each other, you can't tell us what to do!" Charlotte exclaimed starting to get angry, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Charlotte, you can't blame us for reacting like this. We've just found out you've had...you know!" Lorelai said.

"Sex." Jess said. "You can say it, you know."

"I swear you better stop talking right now or else." Lorelai snapped.

"I can't believe this!" Charlotte exclaimed going to leave.

"Where are you going? We're not done!" Lorelai called after her.

"Yes we are!" Charlotte shouted. "I hate you! I hate you for ruining this for us!" She exclaimed angrily before storming out.

"Charlotte!" Lorelai shouted following her out.

Jess and Luke were left glaring at each other. "As much as I'd love to stay and talk..." Jess said sarcastically.

"You're going nowhere." Luke said seriously.

"We didn't do anything wrong!" Jess exclaimed.

"Seriously Jess? What is wrong with you? And in my apartment as well?" Luke exclaimed.

"I'm living here too! What is so wrong about what we did?" Jess exclaimed angrily.

"Because...well because..." Luke said.

"Because what?"

"You can't just sleep with someone and then...and then..."

"And then what? What do you think I'm going to do?!" Jess shouted frustrated.

"Sleeping with someone is huge! It doesn't just mean nothing!"

"Yeah I know that!"

"Charlotte's...special. She's...well this is huge for her. And for Lorelai! You can't take back what you've done!" Luke exclaimed.

"It was her decision!" Jess exclaimed. "What, do you think I pushed her into it and then will now just dump her because I've got what I want?"

Luke was silent for a moment.

"Oh my god, you do! Geez, Uncle Luke, thanks for being on my side! I thought family was meant to stick together. I'm glad I know just how much faith you actually have in your own nephew." Jess said.

Luke saw the hurt on Jess' face. "No I didn't mean..."

"Whatever, I'm out of here!" Jess grumbled, grabbing his jacket and storming out.

"Jess!" Luke shouted after him but to no avail. He groaned as he stood in the apartment. "Good one, Luke." He muttered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Charlotte had ran outside and started running towards the bridge but she bumped into Rory and Tristan on the way.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Rory joked but then she saw tears running down Charlotte's face. "Hey, what's wrong?" She said.

"Nothing." Charlotte mumbled not slowing down her pace.

Rory glanced at Tristan who just nodded at her so she rushed after her sister. "Charlie, slow down! What's going on?"

"Mom's a bitch, that's what!" Charlotte snapped angrily.

"What?" Rory asked shocked.

"She's ruined it! I hate her!" Charlotte cried.

"Ruined what?" Rory asked.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I slept with Jess." She admitted.

"You slept with...wow..." Rory said surprised.

"And Luke and mom caught us." She said.

"Caught you? As in...?"

"We'd already done it but they caught us in bed and we weren't dressed so they know. They were so mad! And mom blamed Jess, I could tell. She wouldn't listen to me! My first time was meant to be special and now it's ruined!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Charlie..." Rory said softly, trying to get her head round the fact that her sister had just experienced her first time.

Charlotte collapsed down onto the bridge and sat on the edge of it. "Luke was shouting that we couldn't see each other anymore and mom was just glaring at Jess. I was so happy and now...now it's ruined." She sniffed.

"It's not ruined." Rory said softly sitting down next to her.

"Yes it is." Charlotte said.

"Look, you said you were happy right? It was...good?" She said cringing at how awkward she sounded.

Charlotte had to smile slightly at her sister's attempts to talk about it. "Yeah, it was amazing." She said quietly. She sighed. "I love him, Ror. And he loves me. Why is it so wrong for two people who love each other to sleep together?"

"It's not." Rory said quietly. "But you have to think about it from mom's point of view. She walks in on her daughter, not dressed, with a boy who is also not dressed. She's going to be shocked. And when you're shocked, you might say things you regret."

"She didn't have to blame Jess. It was my choice to go back to his." Charlotte said.

"You need to talk to mom." Rory said softly. "It'll turn out ok. It will."

Charlotte sighed. "Will it?"

"Hey, when have I ever been wrong before?" Rory joked. Charlotte glanced at her and raised her eyebrows. "Ok fine, I've been wrong a few times. But I'm sure about this!" She laughed. She smiled at her sister. "Honestly, mom just needs time to get her head round this."

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Yeah I guess..."

"Tristan's getting the bus home and then I was going to head home. Are you coming?" Rory asked getting up.

"In a bit. I think I'm just going to sit for a moment." Charlotte said quietly.

"Ok. If I see mom, I'll tell her you'll meet her at home?" Rory asked.

Charlotte just nodded.

"Ok. I'll see you later then." Rory smiled starting to walk away.

"Ror?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She smiled softly.

"Hey, what are sisters for?" Rory joked. "See you at home." She smiled.

"See you at home." Charlotte smiled back. She sat there for about ten minutes just staring into space when she heard footsteps coming across the bridge.

"Hey." A familiar voice said.

Charlotte smiled and looked up at Jess. "Hey." She said softly.

"So that wasn't exactly how I pictured our evening ending..." Jess joked, sitting down next to her.

Charlotte smirked a little. "Yeah, me neither." She said.

"I thought if we locked the door, we would be fine. Sort of forgot the fact that Luke owns the place so has his own keys." Jess smirked. He sighed. "Sorry my carelessness ruined your night." He said quietly.

Charlotte glanced across at him. "No, it wasn't your fault. It was my choice to go to the diner." She said. She then sighed. "I'm sorry my mom shouted at you."

"Not your fault." Jess shrugged.

"So Luke let you out?" Charlotte asked. "Isn't he afraid you'd see me?"

"I don't care what he thinks. It's my life. It's nothing to do with him." Jess grumbled.

She glanced at him and could have sworn she saw a hint of hurt in his expression. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Do you regret what happened?" He asked.

"What? No of course not!" Charlotte exclaimed surprised. "It was amazing!"

"Well then everything's ok." Jess gave her a small smile.

"I love you Jess. I don't regret a thing." She smiled softly.

"Good." Jess smiled. "I love you too, just for the record."

"Good to know." Charlotte joked.

"I better go." He said.

"Going to talk to Luke?" She asked.

"Nope." He said.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Charlotte asked.

Jess smiled and leaned across and kissed her. "I'm fine." He said softly. "Just need to have some time alone." He said.

"Ok." She said. "Call you later?"

"Yeah." He nodded, getting up. "No regrets?"

"No regrets." She smiled softly and then watched him walk off.

* * *

She must have been sat on the bridge for another fifteen minutes. She was about to get up to head home when she felt a presence next to her. She looked up and found Luke standing there awkwardly.

"Oh...sorry..." He said awkwardly. "I thought I might have found Jess here."

"You just missed him." Charlotte said quietly. "And before you say anything, you can't stop us seeing together. Just because you're dating mom doesn't mean you can dictate my life." She muttered.

Luke sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Can I sit?" He asked.

"It's a free country." She mumbled.

Luke sat down. "I think I messed up." He admitted.

Charlotte glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"I shouldn't have said that to you. You're right. I don't have the right to dictate your life." He said.

"So that's why you think you messed up?" She asked.

"No...well yeah I know I shouldn't have said it. I was shocked. But..." He said letting out a heavy breath. "I said some things to Jess. Some things I didn't mean and I...well I think I've messed up big time." He admitted.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Jess didn't push me into anything." She said quietly.

"You really don't need to explain..." Luke said awkwardly.

"No I do." Charlotte said. "It was your apartment and I'm sorry we chose to do it there. I wasn't thinking. It was disrespectful..."

"It's fine." He said.

"But it really was my choice. I swear Jess must have asked about a hundred times whether I was sure about it." She said smiling slightly. "He didn't push me into anything."

Luke glanced at her. "You really love each other huh?" He said quietly.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah we really do." She said softly.

"I'm sorry." Luke said quietly. "I was shocked and I took it out on you and Jess. We're ok right?" He asked.

Charlotte glanced at him and saw the worry on his face. She smiled softly. "We're always ok."

"Ok. Good." Luke said letting out a breath. "I need to find Jess." He said getting up.

"I think I know where he'll be. I'll walk with you." Charlotte said getting up as well.

She led him towards Sophie's music store. "Hear that?" She smiled.

"What?" Luke asked.

"That playing." Charlotte said. "Look through the window."

Luke was confused but looked through the window and was surprised to see Jess in there playing guitar. "He plays?" He asked surprised.

"Yep. And he's really good." Charlotte smiled.

"Since when?"

"For years apparently." Charlotte said. "His mom sold his guitar though."

"I never knew he could play." Luke said amazed.

"I should get home." Charlotte said. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Jess really was a gentleman. You should be proud of him." She said softly.

Luke gave her a small smile and nodded. "I am." He said quietly.

Charlotte nodded at him before walking away slowly. Luke watched her leave and then glanced back through the window. He took a deep breath before pushing the door to the store open. "Hey.." Luke said as Jess stopped playing.

"Hey." He said dully.

Luke sighed and went and sat next to him on another stool. "I'm sorry." He said.

Jess glanced over at him. "What exactly are you sorry for? For forbidding me from seeing Charlotte, shouting at me for sleeping with my girlfriend or, I don't know, accusing me of forcing myself on her and then thinking I'm just going to dump her because apparently I'm that heartless?" He snapped.

Luke could hear the pain in his voice. "Everything." He sighed. "You were right. Family should stick together and I should have had your back. I was shocked and angry and well...I said things I didn't mean."

"You still said them." Jess said.

"I know." Luke said. He looked at his nephew. "I'm sorry. Really." He said sincerely. He sighed. "Look, I've known Charlotte for years. I still see her as this 10 year old who would bound into the diner to get coffee for Lorelai because she knew I wouldn't say no to Charlotte." He said.

Jess smirked slightly. "She really did that?"

"Yep." Luke smirked.

"Wow." Jess commented.

"What I'm saying is that I guess I just feel a bit overprotective of Charlotte, that's all. And I took it out on you and for that, I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

Jess glanced at him and just nodded. "It's fine."

"Really?" Luke asked.

Jess shrugged. "I guess I get it. You've always seen Charlotte and Rory like your daughters. It would make sense to get overprotective. I heard how you beat up Dean when he broke up with Rory the first time." He said smirking slightly.

"Ah geez, she told you that?" Luke groaned.

"No, Charlotte did." Jess said.

"Figures." Luke said.

Jess was quiet for a moment. "I didn't push her into it..." He said quietly.

"I know." Luke said.

"You do?"

"I saw Charlotte before. She told me how you kept making sure she was sure. She told me I should be proud of you." Luke said quietly.

"It was a big deal to her. And to me. I wanted to make sure she was really ready." Jess shrugged.

"I know. And I am." Luke said.

"You are what?"

"Proud of you." Luke said sincerely.

"Ah geez, you're not going to get sappy are you because I will leave again!" Jess groaned.

Luke chuckled. "Nah you're safe." He joked. He glanced at him for a moment. "But I mean it. I want to make it up to you." He said.

"You don't need to." Jess said.

"I do." Luke said. He suddenly had an idea. "A little bird told me your mom sold your guitar..."

"She needed money for drink." Jess shrugged.

"Well it's your birthday next week. How about I buy you an early birthday present?" He smiled.

"Seriously?" Jess asked surprised.

"You obviously like playing. Charlotte said you're really good at it." Luke said. "You should be able to have your own guitar instead of having to come here after hours to play."

Jess was surprised. No one had ever bought him anything like that before. "Thanks." He said.

"And hey, I guess you have taken after your uncle in some way." Luke joked.

"What?" Jess said confused.

Luke picked up another guitar that was on display. "I haven't played for years so I'm probably a bit rusty..." He said and then he started playing a bit.

"You play?" Jess asked surprised.

"Yeah. Well I did." Luke said. "I used to love it."

"Wow. I never saw you as a rock star, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

"Yeah yeah! And this stays between the two of us ok? Because if Lorelai finds out, I'm going to get mocked for life!" Luke warned.

Jess smirked. "Can I call you Keith Richards?"

"No." Luke said.

"Can I call you Bob Dylan?"

"Stop."

"Can I call you..."

"Jess!"

Jess smirked. "I can't believe you play."

"Yeah well..." Luke shrugged. "Some things I like to keep private." He glanced at Jess and smirked. "So are you coming back to the apartment?" He asked.

Jess looked at him for a moment. "Only if I pick what we have for dinner."

"Fine." Luke smirked. "Come on." He said getting up.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Jess said quietly.

"I'm proud of you Jess. I always will be." Luke said softly.

"Even if I tell Lorelai about you being able to play guitar?" Jess joked.

"You tell her, the locks are getting changed." Luke smirked.

Jess chuckled and got up, following him out. "It would so be worth it." He smirked as they left the store.

* * *

Charlotte stood on the porch of the Crap Shack staring at the front door. She took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in. She found her mom on the couch flipping through some channels on the tv. "Hey.." She said nervously.

"Hi.." Lorelai said quietly turning off the tv.

"Where's Rory?" She asked.

"In your room. Studying." Lorelai said.

"Oh." Charlotte said. She sighed and sat on the couch next to her. "I'm sorry..."

"No you don't need to apologise." Lorelai sighed.

"I do. I promised you I would talk to you beforehand." Charlotte said.

"Yeah well...sometimes things don't go the way that you planned. I bet you didn't plan on us walking in on you." Lorelai joked trying to lighten the mood.

Charlotte blushed. "Not exactly the proudest moment of my life." She admitted. She glanced at her mom. "But I'm not sorry I did it. I was ready. It was my choice."

"Yeah you keep saying." Lorelai sighed.

"It was, I swear! Jess was happy to wait, he'd told me that so many times but I heard him talking to Grandma before we left. He was telling her how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and I was stood there listening to all this and then I knew. I wanted that too. I love him so much, mom. I've never felt like this before." She said passionately. "This wasn't a spur of the moment thing. I wanted it. We both wanted it."

Lorelai looked at her daughter and could tell she was being sincere. She sighed. "Were you...safe?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." Charlotte nodded. "Jess made sure."

"Ok good. That's good." Lorelai said. She sighed. "I'm sorry I freaked out. I just...I was stood there staring at you and Jess and all I could think of was that you want to go to college. You want to go to Yale."

"And I will." Charlotte said.

"I know but I freaked out. I saw you standing there with Jess and my mind flashed back to when I had...well my first time. You know I never regretted it. You know I love you and Rory so much but I didn't go to college. It wasn't an option for me. But I want it to be an option for you." She said softly.

"It will be." Charlotte said softly. "I want that too. I want to go to Yale and Jess wants me to go to Yale. He knows how important it is to me."

"Ok good." Lorelai said quietly. She sighed. "I just don't want you to hide things from me. I know this is huge for you and you might have found it awkward to talk to me about it and I get that. But I want you to know that you can always talk to me. I'll always listen." She said softly. "I love you so much, kid. I just...I want you to be safe."

"I love you too mom." Charlotte said softly before leaning forward and hugging her.

"That's good to hear." Lorelai said softly holding her daughter tightly.

"I'm sorry I said I hated you. I don't. I was angry and well...I just didn't mean it." She said quietly.

"I know." Lorelai assured her. "Fancy watching some tv?" She asked.

"Do you mind if we don't? I'm sort of tired. I think I might head to bed." Charlotte said.

"That's fine hon." Lorelai said. She watched her daughter head towards her room. "Hey sweets?"

"Yeah?"

"Say hi to Jess from me." Lorelai smirked.

Charlotte smiled guitily. "How did you know?"

"I'm your mom. I know everything." She joked.

"Is it ok if I call Jess?" Charlotte asked nervously.

Lorelai smiled softly. "Yeah it's ok. And tell him the evil monster who abducted my body has left now so he shouldn't be scared to come round to the house whenever." She said.

Charlotte smiled. "Thanks mom." She said softly.

Lorelai watched her daughter disappear into her bedroom before letting out a big breath. It had finally happened. One of her daughters had really grown up. She had been dreading the moment and didn't quite know what to think about it. She knew she had to stay calm though. She knew it was going to happen at some point. She just hoped it was the right time. She slowly stood up, grabbing her cell and headed up to her room.

 **So I hoped you liked it! I was worried about this chapter so please let me know what you think! I would really appreciate it! :) Sorry it's a shorter chapter but I promise the next one will be longer! :) Thanks again for all your support!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Thank you for your continued support! I know it feels like I'm repeating myself the whole time but I really do appreciate it. :)**

Chapter 23

The maid opened the door to the Gilmore Mansion for Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory to come in for Friday Night Dinner.

"Hi." Lorelai smiled.

"Good evening. May I take your coats?" The maid replied politely.

"Oh, sure, thanks!" Lorelai said taking off her coat and giving it to her, followed by Charlotte and Rory.

"That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!" They heard Emily's voice coming from the living room.

"Your mother's in the living room." The maid said.

"So last chance to run, huh?" Lorelai joked.

"Excuse me?"

"Just ignore her." Rory rolled her eyes and then they went through to the living room to find that Emily was talking on the phone with her back to them.

"Of course I said it. Well, I can't imagine who would take jackbooted as a compliment. I will not apologise. Every time she went to the pantry, I thought she was marching on Poland. Oh, I see, because I want things a certain way, I'm unreasonable?" Emily asked.

Lorelai poured herself a glass of wine, clinking the glasses together as she did.

"Shh!" Charlotte said.

"Why, that is the most absurd...I want to see this document. Fax it to me immediately." Emily said.

"Fax it to me immediately?" Lorelai repeated.

"She's part of the electronic age." Charlotte said.

"Tomorrow morning is completely unacceptable. It's unacceptable because I'm paying you three hundred dollars an hour. So turn that little near-luxury car around, go back to your office, and fax me that libellous scrap of paper." Emily demanded.

"Ask him if he can pick up some ice cream, too." Lorelai joked.

"Well, tell your wife to tape your daughter's recital." Emily snapped, hanging up. "Unbelievable!" She exclaimed. She then turned round to see Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory sitting on the couch.

"Hi Mom." Lorelai smiled.

"Hi Grandma!" Charlotte grinned.

"When did you three get here?" Emily asked.

"Sometime between the second absurd and the third unbelievable." Lorelai joked.

"I apologise. That call caught me off guard." Emily sighed.

"Is everything alright, Grandma?" Rory asked.

"Everything's fine." She said going to pour herself a drink.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm sure."

"You look peeved."

"I'm not peeved."

"Well, you look peeved." Lorelai smirked.

"Kindly stop making me say the word peeved!" Emily said.

"Mom, spill! What's wrong?" She asked.

"That was our lawyer calling to inform me that one of our former maids is suing for wrongful termination." Emily told them.

"Oh." Lorelai said.

"You might at least act surprised."

"It's not the first time, is it?"

"It most certainly is!" Emily exclaimed.

"Really?"

"Yes, Lorelai, really!"

"Well then, I'm surprised." Lorelai nodded.

"It's beyond surprising, it's outrageous!"

"What did Grandpa say?" Rory asked.

"Your Grandfather's still in London helping his mother close down her house. Of course he'd be gone when this happens." She muttered.

"I think he planned it that way." Lorelai joked.

"Which maid was it?" Charlotte asked.

"Gerta, the one from Hamburg, Germany." Emily said.

"Which one was she?" Lorelai asked.

"You remember, she was the one you made all those Hamburg/hamburger jokes to." Rory told her.

"God, I beat that dead horse." Lorelai grinned.

"With glee." Charlotte smirked.

"She was the clomper." Emily told them.

"The clomper?" Rory asked.

"She'd be upstairs making the beds and it would sound like a Munich beer hall rally." Emily said.

"That's why you fired her?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes."

"Because she made noise when she walked?"

"Yes."

"Was she a good maid otherwise?"

"What?"

"Besides the clomping, was she polite, on time, made sure the little fork went on the outside?" Lorelai asked.

"Have you been listening to me? She was not performing her duties as I wished them to be performed. Everything else is beside the point." Emily said.

"Well, I guess it's always something, isn't it?" Lorelai commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked narrowing her eyes.

"It means you always seem to find the one thing about a maid that negates all of her good qualities. I mean, at a certain point, isn't it just easier to let a couple things slide?" Lorelai said.

"I see. So it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that."

"No Lorelai, you did. For years, I've been listening to you and your father and everyone else go on and on about how demanding I am, how I have to have things a certain way. Well, guess what? I pay to have them that way. I pay more than anyone else pays their maids and when things are not the way I want, that means I'm not getting what I paid for. Why is that so hard to understand?" Emily exclaimed annoyed.

"It isn't hard to understand, it's just..." Lorelai tried.

"If you pay for first class and the airline sticks you in coach, people expect you to be upset. No one calls you demanding or unreasonable. And yet here is this woman whom I pay more than she can get anywhere else in Hartford, whose severance package could finance a summer cruise down the Rhine, dragging me into court saying that I was unfair. Why? Because having paid for one thing, I'm not content with something else? That makes me unfair? Well then, so be it! Let someone else pay first class and ride in steerage, not me." Emily said.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Gilmore, dinner's ready." The maid said entering the room.

"Thank you, Brooke, we'll be right there." Emily said.

Brooke walked away and Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory started to get up to go through to the dining room.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Emily stopped them.

"Hear what?" Charlotte asked.

"Exactly." Emily smiled before getting up and heading into the dining room.

* * *

Lorelai was in the kitchen at the inn with Michel the following day watching Sookie and Jackson arguing like they usually would. Soon it came to an end though.

"And it always ends with a hug." Lorelai smiled.

"Hmm." Michel said.

"Ok, what do you need?" Lorelai asked.

"The new insurance policies you ordered." He said handing them to her.

"Good. Now the inspector's supposed to be coming by to check the place out tomorrow, so you're going to have to show him around." Lorelai said.

"What?" Michel whined.

"You're covering for me, remember?" Lorelai said.

"Oh yes, that's right. Tomorrow the two of you go back to school." Michel said dryly.

"It's not school, it's a one-day course at the learning centre." She said.

"How to run an inn." Sookie nodded joining in on their conversation.

"Yes, amazing you've been able to fake it so long." Michel said sarcastically.

"Alright grumpy, is there anything else?" Lorelai asked rolling her eyes.

"Yes. That hoodlum boyfriend of your daughter sat down taking up one of the armchairs." Michel told her.

"Jess?" Lorelai asked surprised. "Why is he here?"

"He didn't say. Just wanted to talk to you." Michel shrugged.

"Oh ok." Lorelai said still confused. She headed through to the reception area and spotted Jess in one of the armchairs reading. "Jess?" She said going up to him.

"Hey." Jess said getting up, stuffing his book into his back pocket.

"Is everything ok? Charlotte's ok right?" She asked.

"Yeah she's fine." Jess nodded.

"Ok, so...?" Lorelai said not really knowing why Jess was there. He never usually came to the inn.

"I just thought maybe we should talk after what happened this week..." Jess said awkwardly.

"Oh..uh..well..." Lorelai said.

"Charlotte and I have talked, Charlotte and Luke have talked, you and Charlotte have talked but we haven't. I just wanted to tell you that you don't need to worry. This wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. I love Charlotte. I want to be with her for the rest of my life." Jess said.

"I always worry." She told him.

"About me?" Jess asked.

Lorelai sighed. "No, not you specifically. Just in general. Look, Charlotte and Rory are my life. I'm their mom. I'm always going to worry about them. That's what moms do." She told him.

"Fair enough." Jess said.

"I know we started off on the wrong foot, you and me. But I've gotten to know you since there. I do trust you, Jess, but this is just going to take me some time to get my head round. This is different to finding out my daughter has a boyfriend. This is different to finding out she had her first kiss or that she's really fallen for a boy. This is just...different." Lorelai said.

"I get that." Jess said. "I should go. I'm sorry I bothered you while you were working." He said going to walk away.

"Hey Jess?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming to talk to me." She smiled at him.

"Thanks for listening." Jess said, giving her a small smile before leaving the inn.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were in the living room when Lorelai walked through the front door with three takeout bags. "Dinner!" She said.

"Over here." Rory said.

"We are so in luck. It was international grab bag night at Al's!" She grinned.

"Cool! Did you peek?" Charlotte asked.

"And ruin the whole point of the mystery dinner? I think not. Pick." She told them.

"That one." Rory pointed to a bag which Lorelai gave her and then gave the other one to Charlotte.

"Ok. I love this! It's food and a game all in one. Now we open them at the same time." Lorelai grinned.

"We know the rules." Charlotte said.

"And do not jump the gun." Lorelai warned.

"There's a lot of pressure associated with international grab bag night." Rory said.

"Well I am your mother, it is my responsibility to give you structure. Now, on three, one, two, three!" She exclaimed and they all opened their bags and smelt their food.

"Hm, Moroccan." Rory said.

"You always say Moroccan." Charlotte laughed.

"And sooner or later, I will be right. What's yours?" She asked.

"Indian I think." Charlotte said.

"Mine's Pan-Asian, with a hint of English Colonial, and a few South African influences." Lorelai grinned.

"Way to hedge your bet. Kitchen?" Rory said.

"Just let me check the machine." Lorelai said walking over to the phone.

"Ok." Rory said walking into the kitchen with Charlotte.

Lorelai joined them after a moment with the phone. "Oh, no!" She said.

"What?" Rory asked.

"No, no, no, no, no!" She said dialling a number.

"I think mom's having a breakdown." Charlotte joked.

"Hello?" Emily answered.

"No." Lorelai said.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"I am not giving a deposition."

"Of course you are, don't be ridiculous!" Emily said.

"Please leave me out of this!" Lorelai begged.

"I see. So you're just going to let this lead-footed chambermaid drag your mother into a public forum and humiliate her, is that it? Is that what I'm hearing?" EMily snapped.

"Mom..."

"Her lawyer knows we asked for this deposition. How do you think it's going to look when you refuse to testify for your own mother?" Emily demanded.

"Like it's none of my business!" Lorelai said.

"Oh, and I'm sure the twelve rocket scientists they assemble as a jury of my peers will see it that way." Emily said.

"Honestly, Mom, I doubt they'll be able to find twelve people in the state of Connecticut who haven't been fired by you." She said.

"I can't believe my own daughter won't come to my defence."

"I'm not going to lie for you." Lorelai said.

"I just want you to tell them how I treat my maids." Emily said.

"I'm not going to lie for you." Lorelai repeated.

"All you have to do is tell them I treat the help fairly!"

"I'm not going to lie for you."

"Lorelai, there is something called family loyalty. It means when someone is in trouble, you help them, as I have helped you several times over the years. The very least you could do in return is spend half an hour saying something kind about your mother!" Emily exclaimed annoyed.

"Fine." Lorelai relented, sighing.

"Thank you. Your devotion is touching." Emily said sarcastically, hanging up.

"I have to give a deposition." Lorelai told her daughters.

"Fun." Charlotte joked.

"I don't think this is Moroccan, or at least not recently." Rory grimaced as she ate her food.

"Want some of mine?" Lorelai asked showing her food to her.

"Nope." Charlotte said.

"Yikes!" Lorelai said actually seeing her food for the first time. "Luke's?" She asked them.

"Let's go." Rory said getting up and heading for the door.

Charlotte was about to follow when Lorelai stopped her. "So your boyfriend came to see me at the inn today..." She said.

"Jess came to the inn?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Do you have any other boyfriends?" Lorelai joked.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Why was he at the inn?"

"He wanted to talk to me. About what happened this week." Lorelai told her.

"Oh geez!" Charlotte exclaimed embarrassed. "Why?"

"Because he said everyone else had talked and that just left him and me." She said.

"Were you mean?" Charlotte asked worried.

"When am I ever mean?" Lorelai asked but Charlotte just raised her eyebrows at him. "Ok fine. But I wasn't mean."

"Really?" Charlotte asked.

"Really. Look, he just came to tell me that I didn't need to be worried and that it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing, that it meant something. And that he loved you and wanted to spend his life with you." Lorelai said.

"He really told you all that?" Charlotte asked surprised but couldn't help but smile.

"Yep. And I told him I would always worry about you and Rory. That's what moms do." Lorelai said.

"You can trust Jess. I do." She said.

"I know. I do trust, Jess. Granted it's taken me some time but I do like Jess. I believe he loves you and cares about you. But as I told him, this is a huge thing for me to get my head round. It'll just take some time, that's all." Lorelai said.

Charlotte nodded. "Ok."

"But I appreciated him coming to talk to me." Lorelai smiled.

"I didn't know he was going to." Charlotte admitted.

"Really?"

"He said nothing to me."

"Well I guess he did really mean it then." Lorelai said. "Anyway, Luke's?" She said.

"Absolutely!" Charlotte smiled.

"Come on then. Let's go catch up with your sister." She smiled and they headed out of the door.

* * *

The following evening, the three of them were on their way back to Luke's yet again for dinner.

"This is silly. I know how to answer a question!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"This is your first deposition. Grandma's lawyers just want you to be prepared." Rory said.

"Sample questions, great. It's bad enough I have to give a deposition, now I have to study for it?" She said.

"Shall we begin?" Rory asked.

"Go ahead."

"Please describe how your mother runs her household." Rory said.

"Ok. Well, do you remember the rowing scene in Ben Hur?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom..." Rory sighed.

"I'm sorry, did that reference date me? Should I have gone with the "Express Yourself" video?" She asked.

"Shall we stop?" Rory asked.

"Sorry, ask me another." Lorelai said.

"Would you say your mother is an easy woman to get along with?" Charlotte asked looking over Rory's shoulder.

"No. Next." Lorelai said.

"You're not taking this seriously!" Rory exclaimed.

"I am taking this seriously." Lorelai said.

"Yeah do you really want her to lie?" Charlotte quipped.

"Fine, but you can't say that." Rory said.

"So you do want me to lie." Lorelai said.

"No, you don't have to lie. It's all about how you present the truth. For example, you could have said that she is a perfectionist." Rory said.

"Uh huh. And do you promise to visit Mommy in jail?"

"Yes I do." Rory said.

"Ok, then. My mother is a perfectionist." She said.

"Very good." Rory grinned.

They reach the diner just as Luke walked out. "Oh, hey! Where you going?" She asked.

"Oh, well, I'm going to Doose's because we are out of food." Luke told them.

"How can you be out of food?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, it starts with the words, "Hey Jess, you do the ordering this week, ok?" and it ends with me selling Kirk a lettuce sandwich." Luke said.

"We've eaten those." Charlotte grinned.

"I'm going to go pick up some stuff to hold us over until tomorrow." Luke said.

"Well, get some burgers." Lorelai told him.

"And tater tots!" Charlotte grinned.

"And pickles." Lorelai said.

"Ok, hold on a sec." He said getting out his order pad. " Ok burgers, tater tots, pickles. You want cheese on the burger?" He asked.

"Cheddar." Rory said.

"And swiss!" Charlotte said.

"Dessert?" He asked.

"Do we have to decide right now?" Lorelai asked.

"I would seriously advise it." Luke said.

"Pie." Lorelai decided.

"Cherry." Rory nodded.

"And apple!" Charlotte said.

"And whipped cream. And dental floss. And paper towels. And People magazine!" Lorelai exclaimed but stopped when she saw Luke giving her a look. "We're really hungry." She grinned.

"I'll be right back." He said walking off to Dooses'.

"I'll come with you." Lorelai said rushing after him.

Rory and Charlotte walked into the diner and found Jess behind the counter. "So I hear you got the ordering wrong." Charlotte smirked.

"Yup. And Luke will not let it go." Jess commented.

"Oh yeah, he's going to hold it over you for weeks yet!" Charlotte grinned.

"Something to look forward to." Jess said dryly. "So you're back for dinner again?"

"Well I heard there was a cute boy working here so I thought I'd check it out." She joked.

"Huh. I'll let Luke know." He smirked.

"Eww!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Jess!"

"You started it." Jess chuckled.

"Ok, sister present here. Can you leave the cute stuff until you're alone?" Rory said.

"Sorry." Charlotte said.

"Yeah sorry." Jess smirked. "You two want coffee?"

"You know us well." Rory smiled.

"Yup." Jess said giving them some coffee.

"So how come you got the ordering wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"I was distracted. I've been working on something." He said.

"Working on what?"

"Some music." He said.

"Have you been writing a song?" Charlotte asked excitedly.

"Maybe." He said.

"Can I hear it?" She grinned.

"Nope."

"Why?" She whined.

"It's not ready yet." Jess said.

"Well when will it be ready?" Charlotte pouted.

"Soon." He said.

"God you're getting too like Luke every day." Charlotte said.

Just then Luke and Lorelai returned and Luke went off to the kitchen to make their food.

* * *

The following Friday came and Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walk up to the porch of the Gilmore Mansion.

"I still can't believe it. I can't believe I got sucked in like that!" Rory said.

"Urgh, that Francie is pure evil so she'll probably wind up president." Lorelai said.

"Paris is so upset. She totally thinks I betrayed her!" Rory exclaimed sadly.

"She'll calm down." Charlotte told her.

"Paris has never calmed down." Rory said.

"She will." Lorelai assured her.

"I can't believe I was her best friend. I feel awful." Rory groaned.

"Look, I'll tell you what. If you want to make things right, just go back to school tomorrow and let her stab you." Lorelai joked.

"Great idea." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I'm nothing if not full of suggestions." Lorelai grinned.

"Or full of something." Rory said.

Just then Emily opened the door.

"Hey Grandma!" Charlotte smiled.

"Hi Mom." Lorelai said.

"Come in, it's cold." She said leading them inside.

"Do you want me to talk to her? You know, arrange a sit-down?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"No, thanks." Rory sighed.

They went into the living room and sat down.

"Is everything ok, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course it's okay. Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"I don't know. You just seem a little quiet." She said.

"Do I? I guess I do. I don't really have a lot to say, actually. I know, why don't I read to you instead?" Emily said picking up a booklet.

"Huh, what's that?" Lorelai asked.

"This? Nothing, just your deposition." She said.

"My...what...how did you get...?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Shh. Listen, it's fun. Ok." She said starting to read. "Question, would you say your mother is a tolerant woman?"

"Oh boy." Lorelai said dropping her head to her chest.

"Answer, um...well, sure." Emily read looking up at her.

"What? I said you were." Lorelai defended herself.

"You said sure."

"Which to most people means yes." Lorelai pointed out.

"Yes, to most people it does, but I've heard you say sure and your sure is always sarcastic." Emily said.

"I do not have a sarcastic sure...do I?" She asked looking at her daughters.

"Yep." Charlotte smirked.

"Pick spot on carpet and stare." Rory said, deliberately not answering the question.

"Question, why has your mother dismissed maids in the past?"" Emily continued.

"Mom..."

"Answer, different reasons."

"Well that's true, right?" Lorelai said.

"Can you expand on that? Answer, gee, how much time do you have?" Emily read, causing Charlotte to laugh. Emily gave her granddaughter a look.

"Sorry." Charlotte said trying to stifle her smile.

"Ok, see..."

"I mean, if you guys have a lunch or an afternoon squash game or something...you look like the kind of guys who play squash. And hey, why's it called squash? Is it something to do with the fruit? Or vegetable, right? A squash is a vegetable, though if you ask me, it's gross no matter what you call it. Well, anyway, what I'm saying is you might want to clear your afternoon." Emily continued.

"I was flustered. He was using lawyer tricks!" Lorelai defended herself.

"By asking you to expand?" Rory asked.

"Now you decide to pipe in?" Lorelai asked.

"Didn't I tell you this was important, Lorelai?" Emily said.

"Yes you did." Lorelai sighed.

"So, in spite of the fact that I told you it was important, you couldn't find it in your heart to put aside your personal antagonism toward me for one day and help me out." She said.

"Mom, this is not fair. I said a lot of nice things about you in there." She said.

"Oh really? Would you say your mother sets impossible goals which people cannot help but fail to reach, thereby reinforcing her already formed opinion of their deficiencies? Answer, only for her daughter." Emily read.

"Ok, not there, but keep flipping." Lorelai said.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready Mrs. Gilmore." The maid said coming in.

"Dinner, hey! Dinner's ready. Who's hungry besides me?" Lorelai exclaimed but her mother just stared at her. She sighed and turned to the maid. "I'd keep it warm. We're going to be here a while." She said. "Ok, go ahead."

"Would you call your mother an extremely critical woman? Long pause. Why was there a long pause, Lorelai?" Emily said.

"Because I was deliberately trying to hurt you, Mom." Lorelai sighed.

"On a scale from one to ten, what would you rate your mother in terms of compassion for others' feelings? Want to guess what she said?" She asked Rory and Charlotte.

"No, thank you." Rory said raising her eyebrows at their mom.

"Mom..."

"Hang on a second, Lorelai. I just want to skip to the Ben Hur reference." Emily said.

"Yeah, I did." Lorelai sighed as Rory looked at her.

"Hey, I bet this has cheered you up huh?" Charlotte grinned at Rory.

Rory couldn't help but smile. "Kind of."

"Good." Charlotte grinned.

"Oh I'm glad my misery is amusing to you two." Lorelai said.

* * *

Lorelai was sat on the couch on the following Monday with Charlotte watching tv when Rory walked into the living room.

"I'm going to bed." Rory told them.

"At nine-thirty?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, well going a whole day without talking to anyone is a lot more tiring than you think." Rory said.

"I hate those girls." Lorelai frowned.

"It's fine. It was the first lunch that didn't start with a recitation of the calorie content of everything on the table, so actually it was kind of a relief." Rory said.

"I hate them anyhow." Lorelai said.

"Night." She said.

"Night babe." Lorelai said.

"I'll come in a bit." Charlotte said.

"Ok." Rory said before disappearing into their bedroom.

"This is really getting her down." Lorelai said. "Is it really that bad?" She asked Charlotte.

"Yep." Charlotte sighed. "It's pathetic! I don't get why Paris would believe Francie over Rory!" She exclaimed. "Tristan and I try and cheer her up at lunch times and stuff but it's still getting her down."

"I wish I could do something." Lorelai said.

"Me too. But we can't." Charlotte shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going to head to bed too. Night mom."

"Night sweets." Lorelai smiled.

Charlotte walked into their bedroom and found Rory sat on her bed reading. "Hey."

"Hey." Rory said giving her a small smile.

"Things will sort themselves out." Charlotte said.

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"I know." Charlotte said. "And if they don't, I'll just beat the truth into Paris." She joked.

Rory smirked slightly. "Thanks but I'd rather violence wasn't involved." She joked.

"Nah I wouldn't use violence. I would just steal all her school books until she admitted she'd let one of the best friends she could have asked for go." Charlotte said.

Rory smiled. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly.

"It will get better." Charlotte said softly. "I promise."

"I hope so." Rory sighed.

"It will. And hey, if it doesn't, who needs them eh? You've got Tristan and me and all your friends here. You don't need them." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah.." Rory said.

"Paris will come round." She said.

"Yeah." Rory said giving her a small smile.

"Anyway, night." Charlotte said going over to her own bed.

"Charlie?" Rory said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Rory smiled softly.

"I've got your back ok? Always." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Rory smiled.

"Night."

"Night."

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	25. Chapter 24

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 24

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were stood staring at their garage.

"Well..." Rory said.

"I'd say three years." Lorelai said.

"More like four." Charlotte said.

"What? It has not been four years since we've stepped foot inside our own garage." Lorelai said.

"It was when we got the Jeep." Rory commented.

"That wasn't...oh..." Lorelai realised they were right.

"And even then, I think we only got as far as opening the door before something flew out and scared you." Rory smirked.

"Yes, it scared me while you two stood by calmly like Dr. Dolittle chatting with the bat." Lorelai retorted.

"I can't believe we actually had a bat in our garage." Charlotte smirked.

"So...uh...what do we do about the bat cave?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, we did promise Lane that her band could rehearse here." Rory said.

"Yes, we did." Lorelai nodded.

"And they'll probably need to actually get in there to do so." Charlotte commented. "So I guess..."

"I guess we're going in." Lorelai said. "Alright. On three, one, two, three." She said and they opened the garage doors.

"Ah ha!" Rory exclaimed.

"What?"

"Those are the boxes from our attic that you were supposed to give away two years ago!" Rory exclaimed pointing to several boxes.

"What?"

"Charlotte and I spent three days boxing all the stuff in the attic and you were going to call a charity and get someone to pick them up." Rory accused her.

"Busted." Charlotte joked.

"I made an appointment, the guy didn't show." Lorelai tried to defend herself.

"He didn't?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"No, I don't think..." Lorelai said.

"Unbelievable." Rory said shaking her head.

"Look, I got bored after sitting there two hours so I left a note saying the stuff was in the garage and he could leave a receipt and I went to get some coffee." Lorelai admitted.

"How did I guess that it would involve coffee?" Charlotte smirked.

"These guys aren't just allowed to go into someone's garage." Rory pointed out.

"Well, the note said it was okay." Lorelai pouted.

"Well, how did he know that the note was authentic?"

"Ok let's stop arguing and actually figure out what we're going to do. I can't believe how much junk we actually have in here." Charlotte commented.

"Hey not all of this is junk." Lorelai said looking around. "Ok fine, maybe most of it is..." She said grabbing hold of a stuffed ball and throwing it out of the garage.

"Wait!" Rory exclaimed catching it.

"What?"

"Hug-a-World!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we still have this!" Charlotte laughed.

"What?" Lorelai asked confused.

"Hug-a-World, it's our Hug-a-World!" Rory said clutching it to her chest.

"Where's the world?"

"It's faded."

"Oh wait, I can see something." Lorelai said.

"Canada." Charlotte nodded.

"Canada, nice. Ok." Lorelai said going to take it.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"I'm throwing it out."

"You can't throw out Hug-a-World!" Rory exclaimed.

"I'm not throwing out Hug-a-World, I'm throwing out Hug-a-Canada." Lorelai joked.

"We learned our seven continents on Hug-a-World, don't you remember? We used to squeeze it as tight as we could and then wherever our pinkies would end up, that's where we were going to go all together when I grew up." Rory grinned.

"Aw yeah I remember that!" Charlotte smiled.

"Yes, many a trip to Uzbekistan was planned that way." Lorelai quipped.

"We can clean him up and keep him, can't we?" Rory begged.

Lorelai sighed. "Throw him outside and I'll see what I can do." She relented.

"Thank you." Rory grinned tossing it to the side.

"If I clean up Hug-a-World, does that cancel out me not getting rid of the boxes?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll consider it." Rory said.

"How about if mom chases it and brings it back?" Charlotte smirked.

"What?" Rory asked confused.

"Hug-a-World would like to see the world." Charlotte joked as they all looked at it.

"It's moving!" Rory exclaimed.

"There's something living there besides Canadians." Lorelai joked.

"I hugged it! Oh my god, I hugged it really tight!" Rory exclaimed.

"Yes, you did." Lorelai smirked.

"I have to shower!" Rory said running away.

"Hey, what about the rest of the garage?" Lorelai called after her. She sighed when Rory disappeared into the house. "Guess it's just you and me, kid." She said to Charlotte.

"How about if Lane's band rehearses in the kitchen?" Charlotte suggested. "We don't use that much."

"Hmm true..." Lorelai said as they stood there staring at the packed garage, wondering what they were going to do.

* * *

Rory and Charlotte got off the bus just as Lane ran up to them.

"Rory! Charlie! The numbers are all adding up, the planets are aligning and I am going to my senior prom!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Rory asked surprised.

"Yes!" Lane beamed.

"How?" Charlotte asked.

"Because I am brilliant. See, my mom was in a good mood today because she made a big sale. I sat her down and I told her that I really wanted to go to the prom. And I know she doesn't approve of such things, but if she lets me go, we will do it her way." Lane told them.

"But her way would be not to let you go." Rory commented.

"Yes, she said that also. But then I went on to clarify that if she lets me go, she would get full dress approval, full chaperone approval, I promise not to actually dance at the prom and whatever boy I go with will be required to attend at least four family dinners before she signs off on him being my escort." Lane said.

"Nice move on using the word escort instead of the word date." Charlotte smirked.

"I know." Lane grinned. "So she sat there, took it all in, and after a really long pause, she looks at me and says maybe."

"Wow, you got a maybe from Mrs. Kim." Rory said.

"I got a maybe from Mrs. Kim." Lane beamed.

"This is so cool! This means that Jess and I will actually have people to hang out with." Charlotte smiled.

"It's going to be great!" Lane exclaimed.

"Aw this sucks! I wish I could go to the Stars Hollow prom. Chilton's is going to be so fancy and with Paris still hating me, it's not exactly going to be fun." Rory sighed.

"You could just come to ours." Lane suggested.

"I don't think we can. Neither me or Tristan go to Stars Hollow High. I doubt they'd let us." Rory pouted.

"You could still ask." Lane said.

"Or just get Jess to steal you some tickets." Charlotte joked.

"That too!" Lane nodded.

Rory smirked. "Thanks guys but think we'll just stick with Chilton."

"Fair enough." Charlotte said.

* * *

Jess was in the diner one afternoon when he saw a woman with a briefcase walk in and approach him.

"Excuse me? Hi, I'm looking for a Mr. Lucas Danes." She said politely.

"Oh, Lucas." Jess called through to the kitchen, smirking when Luke came out with an irritated look.

"What?" He said.

"IRS." He joked.

"I'm not IRS!" Nicole said quickly.

"I'm Luke Danes." Luke said.

"Luke Danes, sorry. I'm Nicole Leahy, I'm Taylor Doose's attorney." She smiled.

"Oh, geez!" Luke groaned.

"He wanted me to bring.." She started.

"Yeah, the lease agreements yes, I know. I told him to walk them over here, but hey, what's the fun of being Taylor, right?" Luke grumbled.

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time. It certainly won't take me very long." Nicole said.

"Nah, I'm fine, whatever. Let's get this over with." Luke said.

"No problem." She smiled.

"You want some coffee?" He offered.

"Yeah, sounds great. I really just need to witness your signature. It's actually just a formality." She said.

"In other words, completely ridiculous and unnecessary." Luke said.

"Yep." She smirked.

"Ok." Luke sighed signing the papers.

"Mr. Doose really likes things to be formal. And neat. And in triplicate. He just loves things in triplicate." She joked. "Wow, that's a really good cup of coffee." She complimented him.

"Thanks. So tell me something, what's it like being Taylor's lawyer?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not exactly Mr. Doose's lawyer. Or only lawyer. He's one of our select clients so all of our attorneys deal with him or a rotating basis. It's my month." She said.

"My condolences." He said dryly.

"Yeah, my father always told me that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She joked.

"You're going to be much stronger." Luke smirked.

"He's not that bad." Nicole smirked.

"Seriously, if you run into someone pinned underneath a truck, pick it up. It's going be a piece of cake." He joked. "Ok, looks like that's the whole nine yards." He said putting his pen down.

"Great. You and Mr. Doose are officially in business together." She said causing Luke to grimace. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I meant that as a good thing." She laughed.

"It's ok." He said.

"Uh...I will let you get back to work. Let me..." She said pulling out her purse.

"Oh no, it's on me." Luke said.

"Tell you what. It's business, let's let Mr. Doose pay for it." She smiled.

"Even better." Luke said. "Nice meeting you."

"You too." She smiled before leaving.

"Well, that was an interesting show." Jess commented as he appeared next to him.

"What are you yammering about?" Luke grumbled.

"Guess she's looking to slum it." He said.

"What? No!" Luke frowned.

"She was totally coming onto you." Jess said. "I wonder what Lorelai would think..."

"She won't think anything about it because she won't know and the reason she won't know is that there is nothing to know. She was not coming onto me." Luke said.

"Couldn't you hear her panting when you were signing those things?" Jess commented.

"She wasn't."

"She laughed at your jokes and we both know there's got to be some ulterior motive when people laugh at your jokes." Jess said.

"Ok whatever. Even if she was, I wasn't coming onto her and I never would. I'm with Lorelai. Why do you care so much anyway?"

Jess shrugged. "Lorelai's good for you. I'm just saying be careful, that's all. She totally likes you. It was obvious. Just be careful around her ok?"

"Fine." Luke sighed.

"Good." Jess said.

"So we're not going to discuss this anymore, are we?" Luke said.

"Sure." Jess said.

"There is something I do want to discuss with you though." Luke said. "This weekend, are you doing anything?"

"Besides defying the child labour laws? No." Jess said dryly.

"I was thinking of going on a fishing trip. I haven't been for a while." Luke said. "We could go to my dad's cabin."

"I don't fish." Jess said.

"I could teach you." Luke offered.

"Think I'll pass. But thanks." He said dryly.

"Oh come on Jess! I was going to invite Lorelai." He said.

"Even more of a reason not to come. I don't really fancy being the third wheel." Jess said.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I was going to invite Charlotte and Rory as well." He said.

Jess perked up a bit. "You were?" He asked.

"Yep. Thought it might be nice. I've not had much time with Lorelai recently and I thought you'd jump at the chance of no work and getting to see Charlotte. Although I will say this right now. You two will not be staying in the same room and if there's any silly business at all, I'm sending you back here and you'll have to work the whole time." He warned.

"Duly noted." Jess smirked.

"So you'll come?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Sure, why not." Jess shrugged.

"Good! That's good." Luke smiled.

"Hey Luke, do me a favour though?" He said.

"What?"

"Please make sure I'm around when you mention this fishing trip to them." Jess smirked.

Luke rolled his eyes again. "Go clear some tables." He said shaking his head, throwing a cloth to him to use.

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked going off to some empty tables.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai was sat at a table in the diner looking bored. She smiled up at Luke as he approached. "Hey, got any good stories?" She asked.

Luke pretended to think for a moment. "Nope, sorry." He said.

"Really, nothing? No crazy, colourful uncle? Best friend with a funny name?" She asked.

"Jeff Smith?" He said.

"Skeletons in the family closet? War wounds? Funny shaped scars?" She kept asking.

"It really throws you off when Rory and Charlotte are late, doesn't it?" He smirked.

"Big time." Lorelai sighed.

Just then Rory and Charlotte came into the diner.

"Oh, yay, thank god!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Sorry. Didn't Luke keep you company?" Rory asked.

"Oh he tried but really, he's got nothing." Lorelai joked.

"Losing your touch, Luke?" Charlotte joked.

"Thank you." He said to Lorelai before walking off. He returned a while later with their coffee and three burgers and chips.

"Hey we didn't even order yet." Lorelai said.

"I know. Figured you'd want burgers." He said.

"Such service!" Charlotte grinned already tucking into hers.

"More like he's trying to suck up to you." Jess smirked coming over.

"Jess..." Luke shot him a look.

"Well are you going to ask them or not?" He smirked.

"Ask us what?" Lorelai asked intrigued.

"I was thinking we could go all on a fishing trip this weekend." Luke said.

"A fishing trip?" Lorelai asked surprised. "Oh..uh..."

"Caesar can cover here so that's all sorted. Sookie and Michel would be ok at the inn wouldn't they?" He continued.

"I guess..." Lorelai said. "But..."

"It'll be fun." Luke tried.

"Nothing about fishing sounds fun." Charlotte chipped in.

"Yeah I'm not exactly a fan of it either." Rory admitted.

"Well you two don't have to fish. Jess is coming." He told Charlotte.

"Really?" Charlotte asked raising her eyebrows at Jess.

"Thought we could go skinny dipping." Jess smirked.

"What?! No! No skinny dipping!" Luke exclaimed.

"Geez, learn when I'm kidding." Jess smirked.

Luke shot him a look. "Anyway, this pain in the ass is coming." He told Charlotte. "And you could invite that Tristan guy if you want." He told Rory.

"Really?" Rory asked perking up.

"Sure." He nodded. "Would give you company when we go and fish."

"I'm in." Charlotte grinned.

"Me too." Rory grinned.

"That's not fair! You know how to get them on side! You planned this!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I've known them for a long time." Luke smirked. "So what do you say?" He asked.

Lorelai sighed. "I don't fish."

"I'll teach you. I'll come over tomorrow after work and give you the basics." He said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Sure." He nodded.

"Fine.." She said.

"Your enthusiasm to spend time with me is touching." Luke said dryly.

Lorelai smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry." She said. "It'll be fun, I'm sure. Hey we get to spend time together so that's the main thing?" She smiled.

"Exactly." Luke smiled.

"Ok, kids present." Jess said dryly. "Stop the soppiness."

"Shut it you. Get back to work." Luke said.

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked, walking off.

* * *

The following afternoon, Luke was unloading his fishing gear out of his truck when Lorelai walked out of her house a fishing outfit on.

"Let's go." He said.

"Hello sailor, bait your hook for me?" She joked.

"You look ridiculous." Luke smirked.

"I look adorable! No one ever told me that if you fish, you get to buy an outfit. I'll do just about anything if I can buy an outfit!" She grinned.

"Well, I'll just let that go by because we have a lot to do here." Luke chuckled.

"Ok, wait. I'll just get my purse before we go." She said.

"Go where?"

"To the lake..."

"You're not ready for the lake." He said.

"Then what am I ready for?" She asked. Luke pointed to the small inflatable pool he had set up in the yard. "Uh! You're putting me in the kiddie lake?" She pouted.

"You've got to crawl before you can walk." He said.

"Oh, this is not at all embarrassing. There's not even fish in it!" She said.

Luke dumped a bucket of fish into the pool. "Trout." He said.

"Hey! Aw, they're so cute! Hello, hi boys!" She cooed getting down lower so she could see them. "And look, they look like they're singing in a little trout choir." She grinned.

"I wouldn't get too attached." He said dryly.

"Hi Gomer." Lorelai smiled giving a little wave to the fish.

"And there you go..." He sighed.

"Oh, don't be scared Pinky." Lorelai continued.

"And now there's Pinky..."

"Pinky Dowdy from fourth grade. See her eyes darting back and forth, all panicked? She got that way from dodge ball. It's ok, Pinky, nobody's going to hurt you. Hey Pete, stop crowding Pinky. It's ok, Pinky, just go over there behind Cheryl." Lorelai said.

"Ok, so now that everybody knows each other, take this." He said handing her a fishing rod.

"What's that?" She asked.

"That's your rod and reel." He said.

"Huh, rod and reel. I don't know if the guys are going to like this." Lorelai joked.

"Well, we can skip the lesson and just take the trout out for some beers. It's up to you, really." Luke said dryly.

Lorelai stifled a smirk. "No I'm sorry. I want to learn." She said.

Luke talked her through what to do and how to throw the line into the water. After a second attempt, Lorelai did it succesfully.

"Hey, I made it in the pool! I made it in the pool!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"I see that." Luke smiled.

"Why aren't you excited?"

"I'm very excited." He said.

"Well, jump around or something!"

"Alright, now you're going in the pool." He said.

"Sorry." Lorelai smirked. She glanced at him and smiled. "This was a good idea." She said.

"Yeah?" Luke smiled.

"Yeah. We haven't managed to spend much time together recently have we?"

"Not much." He agreed.

"I'm sorry about that. Work has been crazy recently." She sighed.

"It's ok." He said. "Diner's been pretty busy too."

"I'm looking forward to some us time." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Yeah. Me too." He said softly, smiling back at her.

There was a moment of silence between them. Lorelai glanced at him and saw he was deep in thought. "Hey, you ok?"

"What?" He said bringing himself back to reality. "Yeah I'm fine."

"You just looked miles away then." She said.

Luke sighed. "Yeah I was just...thinking..." He admitted.

"About?" Lorelai asked.

He glanced at her. "Ok, I need to tell you something but I want you to know that I didn't do anything wrong and I wouldn't have even noticed unless Jess brought it up." He said quickly.

"Ok..." Lorelai said confused.

He sighed. "This lawyer of Taylor's came into the diner yesterday. Nicole. Nicole, that was her name." He rambled. "And I had to sign these papers and we exchanged words. And I thought it had been very courteous, you know. I commiserated her on being Taylor's lawyer and gave her some coffee and we joked around a bit."

"Ok..." Lorelai said not liking where this was going.

"It was only afterwards when Jess brought it up that I realised that maybe...maybe she was coming onto me a bit." He admitted. "But I swear I wasn't leading her on or anything! I didn't even realise until Jess mentioned it and then as I thought it over, maybe she was being a bit over friendly." He sighed rubbing his hand over his cap. "I swear, Lorelai, I wouldn't do that to you. I didn't lead her on and I definitely would never flirt back. I love you. I want to be with you."

Lorelai had to smile at his rambling.

"What?" He said confused.

"It's ok." She said softly.

"What?" He repeated.

"Look, I'm not ecstatic that this woman obviously tried to come onto to you but I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything." Lorelai assured him. "And you've shown that even more by telling me about it."

Luke let out a relieved breath. "Really?" He asked.

"Really." Lorelai smiled, leaning over to kiss him. "Can't really blame her. Who wouldn't want to try and flirt with such a good looking man?" She smirked.

"Good looking huh?" He smirked.

"Oh very good looking!" She smirked.

"I love you." He said softly, reciprocating her action and kissing her.

"I love you too." She smiled softly. "I can't wait for this weekend."

"Me neither." He smiled.

They turned back to the paddling pool.

"So, fancy taking the cork off?" He asked.

"Uh...I'm ready but I don't think they are yet..." She said.

"No problem." He smirked.

They just stood there for a while, side by side, just enjoying the sun and each other's company and looking forward to the weekend.

 **Sorry it was a short one but I promise the next one will be longer! :) Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading what you think so thank you! :)**


	26. Chapter 25

**Sorry for the delay in updating! I've not been feeling well so haven't felt up for writing. I'm on the mend now so here's the next chapter. Thank you for your continued support and patience! :)**

Chapter 25

Rory and Charlotte were resting their heads on the kitchen table very early on Saturday morning.

"Could you please just make some coffee?" Lorelai called from the other room.

"No! We're not doing anything for you ever!" Charlotte shouted.

"Don't be mad." Lorelai called.

"You set our alarm for 5:15 a.m!" Rory exclaimed.

"I know, but I did it for purely practical reasons." Lorelai said walking into the kitchen.

"Which are?" Rory asked.

"My alarm is just not as reliable as your screams." She joked.

"You will pay." Rory scowled.

"I hate you." Charlotte mumbled.

"That's fine, girls. Now, coffee?" She grinned.

"Tell me again why we have to get up at this hour." Charlotte grumbled.

"Because Luke wants to make the most of the day and besides we're coming home tomorrow. We want as much time there as possible."

"Here's the coffee." Rory scowled at her mother before giving a mug to Charlotte as well.

"I love you." Charlotte exclaimed sipping the coffee.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Tristan." Rory said heading towards the door. She opened it and sure enough, there was Tristan stood on the porch. "You're not a bed."

"Someone's cranky." Tristan smirked.

"We're all cranky." Charlotte said appearing from the kitchen. "Because someone decided to set our alarm earlier than it needed to be set."

"Ah..." Tristan said. "I will try not to feel too unloved then by that welcome." He joked.

"Sorry." Rory said smirking slightly. "Hi." She said again, giving him a kiss.

"Hi." He smiled following them through to the living room.

The doorbell rang again causing Lorelai to rush through from the kitchen. "Showtime!" She said, opening the door to find Luke and Jess stood there.

"Hi." Luke smiled.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled giving him a quick kiss.

"Coffee and donuts." He said holding up a takeout bag.

"I love you!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I assumed you've already had coffee but thought I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't bring any." He said.

"Yeah well I've actually only had half a mug because some people refused to make me any!" She said as she led them through to the living room.

"Because you set our alarm just so we would wake you up!" Charlotte said. "And don't think you're off the hook!" She said pointing at Luke. "I knew it was your idea to leave this early." She scowled.

"Good morning to you too." Luke smirked.

"Seems to be a good morning for just the two of you then..." Jess grumbled.

"Aw what's up with you?" Lorelai asked.

"He set my alarm an hour early." Jess scowled.

"Because you take like an hour getting ready! I didn't want us to be late!" Luke said.

"Whatever." Jess grumbled sleepily.

"Ok let's get going. You guys can sleep in the car." He said.

"Sounds good." Lorelai said. "Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

It took them a couple of hours and several coffee stops on the way but they finally found themselves at Luke's cabin. Everyone was a bit more awake than they were before.

"Wow it's amazing!" Charlotte exclaimed taking in the scenery and already thinking about the sketches she could do.

"Yeah it's really pretty." Lorelai smiled.

The four teenagers headed off together after dumping their bags by the cabin, leaving Luke and Lorelai to unload the rest of their stuff. "Do you come here lots?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Not really." He said. "I've only actually been here once since my dad passed away." He admitted.

"Oh Luke, I'm sorry..." Lorelai said.

"No it's ok." Luke said. "I wanted to show it to you. And to Jess." He smiled. "My parents would have wanted that."

Lorelai smiled at him. "Well I'm glad you've brought us." She said softly.

Luke smiled and they carried their stuff to the cabin. "Fancy a walk before we unpack all this?" He asked.

"Sure." She nodded.

"Good. Let's go." Luke said, smiling as he felt Lorelai link arms with him.

* * *

They walked for about an hour before they decided to sit down on a bench overlooking the lake.

"It really is beautiful here." Lorelai smiled leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I know." Luke said.

"Did you come here lots as a kid?" She asked.

"Most summers, yeah." He nodded. "And the odd weekend as well."

"That must have been fun." Lorelai smiled softly.

Luke smiled slightly. "Yeah it was." He said. "My parents loved it here." He admitted.

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked turning to him.

"Yeah." He said softly. "My dad and I would go off fishing and my mom and Liz would often stay at the cabin or go off for a walk. And then we would meet back at the cabin for dinner."

"Sounds lovely." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah.." He said quietly, swallowing a lump that was forming in his throat due to talk about his parents.

Lorelai glanced at him. "Were the four of you close, you know, when you and Liz were kids?" She asked. She was genuinely interested but she didn't want to upset him.

"Yeah I guess we were." Luke said thinking back to that time. "Mom and Liz were very close, I guess that's why Liz went off the rails. Losing mom was hard on all of us but Liz just couldn't cope." He said.

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you all." Lorelai said quietly.

"It was really hard. Dad was devastated but was trying to stay strong for us and trying to keep Liz from falling apart and me...well I was just trying to to stay strong for all of them." Luke admitted.

"Sounds like the Luke I know." Lorelai said strongly.

Luke gave her a small smile. "Anyway, Liz continued acting out and then we found out she was pregnant..."

"How did your dad react?" Lorelai asked.

"He was shocked but he got his head round it and vowed to support her. We both did." Luke said. "Liz actually improved a bit and she felt like the old Liz again but then Jess was born and she turned back to her old habits. Left Jess with us to look after while she went out drinking with her mates. Don't get me wrong, dad adored Jess and loved looking after him but she took no responsibility at all. Next thing we know, she's buggering off to New York with Jess with Jimmy, the deadbeat father, to make a life for themselves. Well of course then Jimmy deserted them almost straight away but Liz stayed there with Jess. Dad begged them to come home but she wouldn't. She wouldn't even come when she found out he was ill. She said she couldn't face it all again." He said quietly.

"That must have been hard for you." Lorelai said softly.

"Dad wanted to see them one last time but Liz refused to come. I will never forgive her for that. Never." He said.

"I'm sorry." She said sympathetically.

Luke sighed. "It just gets to me. Dad was dying and all he wanted was to say goodbye to his daughter and see his grandson one last time. She refused. Who does that?" He exclaimed.

"I don't know..." Lorelai said.

"I mean I know you had bad times with your folks but if your mother rang you saying your father was dying and wanted to see you and the girls, whatever crap you were going through with them, you'd go right?" He asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Of course. I'd be straight there." She admitted.

"Exactly." Luke said.

They suddenly heard laughter coming from across the water. They looked across to see the four teenagers having changed into their swimming clothes and were now swimming in the lake. Lorelai smiled as she watched Charlotte push Jess in and then, in return, Jess held out his hand to her for her to help him out but he ended up pulling her into the water himself.

"I got him so wrong, didn't I?" Lorelai said softly.

Luke glanced at her and smiled. "You had every right to worry. She's your daughter." He said.

"I know. But I held the grudge too long. I let that first impression of him cloud my whole judgement." Lorelai sighed. "Everyone tried to tell me..."

"Lorelai, it's ok. I'm sure Jess himself would admit he didn't exactly give you a reason to like him." Luke said smirking slightly.

"I know." She laughed. "But still..." She said looking across the water. "They really do make each other happy, don't they?"

"Yeah." Luke said smiling as he watched his nephew. "Yeah they do."

* * *

After grabbing their towels and drying themselves off Rory and Tristan headed back towards the cabin as Charlotte and Jess sat on a bench for a bit.

"I'm glad you came." Rory smiled as she walked holding hands with Tristan.

"Well thank you for inviting me. I was happy to come." He smiled.

"You can thank Luke for that. It was all him." Rory said.

"Oh and there I was thinking my girlfriend actually wanted to spend the weekend with me." Tristan smirked.

"Sorry!" Rory smirked.

Tristan chuckled. "I'm still glad I came."

"Me too." Rory smiled up at him.

Tristan smiled picking up her hand and kissing it. "I love you." He said.

"I love you too." Rory smiled softly.

Meanwhile, back by the lake, Charlotte and Jess were sat snuggled up to each other just taking in the view.

"Did you ever come here when you were young?" She asked him.

"I'm not sure. I think I might have done when I was a baby but I don't remember." Jess shrugged.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Do you remember Luke's dad?" She asked.

"Vaguely but I'm not sure if that might just be because of photos. I wish I'd known him better." He said.

"Yeah?"

"Luke had to go through a lot with him being ill and stuff. I just wish I'd been around to help." Jess shrugged.

"Jess, you were just a kid..." Charlotte said softly.

"I know but still..." He said.

"Well I think it meant a lot to Luke that you agreed to come here. He obviously wanted to share it with you." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah." Jess said. There was a moment of silence. He glanced across at her. "I don't think I'm going to graduate..." He said quietly.

"What?" Charlotte said shocked, turning her head back round to him.

Jess sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "I found out yesterday."

"I don't understand..." Charlotte said.

"Apparently I haven't attended enough classes in order to get enough credit." Jess admitted.

"What do you mean haven't attended enough classes? You go everyday!" Charlotte exclaimed. She saw his guilty look. "Or not..." She frowned.

"I've taken the odd shift at Wal-Mart." He admitted.

"Jess!"

"Only the odd one! I thought I'd gone to school enough. I thought it was ok!" Jess exclaimed.

Charlotte let out a heavy breath. "Ok, well can't you make it up now? You're smart enough. Just make it up now!" She said.

"I can't. I've missed too much." Jess admitted.

"Have you told Luke?" She asked.

"No and I'm not going to." He said.

"What? Why not? You have to!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Because he's made it clear before that if I don't graduate, I'm out. That's it!" Jess said.

"No he won't. You need to talk to him."

"No I don't."

"What, so you just want to bury your head in the ground? Feel sorry for yourself? If you don't make the effort to make this right, Jess, yes Luke will probably kick you out. Is that what you want?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't need school." He argued.

"Oh my god! Jess, you need to graduate at least! I can't believe this!" Charlotte said getting up.

"Where are you going?" He exclaimed.

"Away from you! If you want to throw your life away, then fine! But don't expect me to be here to see it!" She snapped before storming off.

* * *

Jess returned to the cabin a lot later that afternoon, to find everyone outside having some food.

"Ah there you are! Where have you been?" Luke said spotting him.

"Just...walking." Jess said glancing at Charlotte who was avoiding his gaze.

"Well there's some food left if you're hungry." Lorelai smiled at him.

"Thanks." He grunted. He glanced at Charlotte again. "Can we talk?"

"No." She said getting up.

"Where are you going now?" He exclaimed.

"To sketch!" She snapped before walking off.

"Charlotte!" Jess exclaimed. He groaned before sitting down. He ate his food before getting up and walking towards Luke and Lorelai who were sat by the lake. "I need to talk to you." He said.

Luke looked up at him. "Uh..ok." He said.

"I'll go finish the unpacking." Lorelai smiled making herself scarce.

Jess took her place on the bench. "I need to talk to you."

"You've said that already." Luke said. He glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Jess retorted.

"Because Charlotte bit your head off when you tried to talk to her. What, have you two had a fight or something?"

Jess sighed. "You could say that."

"Why?"

"Because I told her I'm not graduating." Jess admitted.

"You're what?" Luke said shocked.

"Don't freak out..."

"Jess..." He warned.

Jess sighed. "I missed too many classes and I don't have enough time to make it up. I'm not graduating."

Luke was quiet for a moment. "You're not graduating." He repeated.

"No..." Jess said nervously.

"Ok, well then you'll quit Wal-Mart as of next week. And then you will retake the year, properly this time, and you will graduate." Luke said calmly.

"Wait, you're not kicking me out?" Jess asked surprised.

"Why? Would you rather get kicked out?" Luke asked.

"No but...I'd rather do anything than take another year of school. I hate school. It's not me." Jess admitted.

Luke sighed. "Jess, education is key for your future. You need qualifications."

"You didn't!" Jess pointed out. "And you're doing fine."

"Yes, I didn't go to college but I did graduate high school. I didn't have a choice about college but you do, Jess. You're smart! I want you to have more than I did. I want you to be able to do it all." Luke said.

"But I don't want that!" Jess exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Luke frowned. "Jess..."

"No, you don't get it! I don't want to go to college. I don't want to be better than you. I want to...well I just want to be you." Jess said quietly.

"What?" Luke said surprised.

"Or like you." Jess shrugged.

"Jess..." Luke said softly.

"You don't get it. I hate school but since I came here you made me go. You keep telling me I could be anything I want and do anything I want to do." Jess said.

"You can."

"Well I know what I want to do." Jess said.

"What? Work in Wal-Mart?" Luke said smirking slightly.

"No. Write a book." Jess admitted.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Huh. I've never told anyone that before." Jess said.

"You want to write a book?" Luke asked.

"I've been writing songs lately and it's reminded me that I've always wanted to write a book one day. Although I made the mistake of telling my mom that once. She laughed at me and said it would never happen." He sighed. "But being here and you...believing in me..."

"It'll happen." Luke said firmly.

Jess smiled slightly. "It's made me believe again."

"You need to graduate school first though." Luke said. "Look, I get that college isn't for everyone but you need to at least graduate high school."

"I know." Jess sighed. "Just don't expect me to enjoy it."

Luke smirked. "Oh I definitely wouldn't expect that." He chuckled. He then turned seriously. "But I do expect you to actually..."

"Show up. Yeah I know. I will." Jess said.

"Good." Luke said.

Jess glanced at me. "Thanks for not kicking me out."

"Thanks for coming to talk to me." Luke said.

"I've actually come round to that crazy town." Jess smirked.

Luke chuckled. "Yeah it does that to ya." He glanced at him and smiled. "Now go." He said playfully pushing his shoulder.

"Go where?"

"Go make up with Charlotte." Luke said.

Jess sighed. "Don't know if it will be that easy."

"It will. I believe it will so it will." Luke smirked.

"Ah geez! I should never have bigged up your ego!" Jess groaned.

"Go on!" Luke chuckled. "You two always make up after fights. You'll be fine."

"Yeah ok." Jess said getting up. He glanced at his uncle. "Thanks Uncle Luke." He said sincerely.

Luke smiled at him. "You're welcome. Now go! Unless you want to get pushed into a lake again."

Jess smirked. "I'm going."

"Meet back here for dinner ok?" Luke said.

"Ok." Jess nodded before walking off in search of Charlotte, leaving Luke looking out at the lake with a small satisfied smile on his face.

 **Hope you liked it! Please keep reviewing as I love hearing what you think! It really does motivate me so thank you! :)**


	27. Chapter 26

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 26

Jess walked along the lake and eventually found Charlotte sat on a bench looking out at the lake, sketchbook open. He slowly walked up to her. "Mind if I sit?" He asked.

"It's a free country." She replied.

"It wasn't because I wanted to get sent away. You have to believe me. You're everything to me." Jess said. He sighed when she didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was scared." He admitted.

Charlotte looked up at him and frowned. "Scared about what?"

"Scared that you'd hate me and you'd think I was stupid and would want to break up with me." He admitted.

Charlotte's face softened. "Jess, I love you. I just want you to be honest with me. I would never break up with you for something like that."

"I told Luke." He told her.

"And?" Charlotte asked.

"He was...surprisingly calm." Jess said.

"Told you." Charlotte said but smirked slightly.

Jess smirked. "Yeah I know you did. He told me I have to retake the year and quit my job at Wal-Mart." He told her.

"What happened to you hating school?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"To be honest, I was so surprised that he wasn't kicking me out that I just agreed." Jess shrugged. He glanced at her. "Plus I don't want to disappoint you. I know deep down, I at least need this qualification."

"I just want you to be able to do your best. You're so smart, Jess. You could do so much." Charlotte said.

"And also, Lane and Dave have asked me if I will join the band so that will give me something to do in my free time when you've gone off to Yale." He said.

"Wait, what? They've asked you to join the band. How did that happen?" She asked confused.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jess smirked.

"You know what I mean!" Charlotte smirked.

"Well Dave's off to college like you and that would mean they would be down a guitarist. I'd have to sing a bit but they've got Zach and Brian." Jess said. "Dave was really cool about it and Lane's cool so I couldn't really say no." He said.

"I think it's nice they asked you. You're amazing at guitar and you write your own songs. They're lucky to have you." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah?" Jess asked glancing at her. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" She asked.

"Well...I don't know. Last time you found us all playing together..." Jess said.

"You mean when I transformed into an insane witch?" Charlotte said. She blushed slightly, embarrassed of how she had reacted before. "I was stupid. I trust you and I trust Lane. I know now how stupid it was of me to think something could ever go on between you two." She said. "Besides, Dave would kill you if it actually did happen." She joked.

Jess chuckled. "Definitely."

Charlotte smiled. "I'm glad you said yes. You'll have fun with them."

"Yeah." Jess smiled. He glanced at her. "So are we ok?" He asked.

Charlotte smiled softly. "Yeah we're ok."

"Good." Jess said taking a relieved breath.

"Hey, what do you think?" Charlotte asked turning the sketchbook towards him to reveal a sketch she had done of the lake and surrounding area.

Jess stared at it in awe. "That's...amazing." He said.

"No seriously, come on!" Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Charlie, that's amazing." Jess said sincerely, leaning over to kiss her. "You're incredibly talented."

Charlotte smiled softly. "Really?" She asked self consciously.

"Really." He said.

"Thanks." She smiled.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte was outside with Jess hanging out by the lake when Rory came rushing up.

"Sherry's in labour!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised. "But I thought..."

"I know but sometimes things don't go as planned. Maureen called me and she asked us to come." Rory said.

"No way." Charlotte said immediately.

"Charlotte please! I don't want to go by myself!" Rory begged. "Dad's not even there."

"What a surprise." She said sarcastically.

"Charlie..."

"No! Going to the baby shower was something! I'm not going to the hospital to watch dad become a dad again to a kid that he's vowing not to let down this time." Charlotte shook his head.

"But dad's not even there! Please! I need you!" Rory begged.

"No." Charlotte said.

Rory frowned. "Fine! Well Luke's taking me and Tristan. Do what you want! But please remember that what went down with dad has nothing to do with Sherry or our half sister!"

Charlotte watched her sister storm off and let out an exasperated breath.

"Are you ok?" Jess asked cautiously.

"No." Charlotte said.

"Charlie..."

"I just...How can I be there for this? It's not fair that Rory asked me! It's not fair!" Charlotte exclaimed.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte was back in Stars Hollow with Jess and her mom. They were hanging out in the diner when her cell rang.

"Out." Luke said coming up to her.

"But Luke!" Charlotte whined.

"Out!" He said.

"Spoilsport." Charlotte pouted but got up and went outside. "Hello?" She answered.

"They're giving me gloves!" Rory exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't want gloves! I don't want a gown and I don't want to be in there!" Rory exclaimed desperately.

"In where?" Charlotte asked confused.

"In the delivery room with Sherry!"

"What?" She asked surprised.

"Dad's not here yet and she's freaking out and she told the nurse I'm going in and...and I'm freaking out!" Rory exclaimed.

Charlotte could tell Rory was close to tears. "Where are her other friends?" She asked.

"They had to work. I'm here all by myself and I'm trying very hard to be calm but I'm starting to feel nauseous and the hospital has a smell and there are noises and those gowns do not stay closed and I've seen a lot of butts today!" Rory rambled. "And...and...I need you!"

"Rory..." Charlotte groaned.

"I need you! I need you here and I need you now! I can't do this alone! You know how much these hospital things freak me out! I need you and damn it, I don't care who knows it!" Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "What hospital is it?"

"Boston Memorial." Rory said.

"I'll be right there." She said.

"You're the best sister ever!" Rory exclaimed relieved.

"Tell Sherry to keep her legs crossed until I get there." Charlotte said.

"Does that work?"

Charlotte smirked at how serious Rory sounded. "No." She said. "Bye." She said then hanging up. She sighed and went back into the diner. "I'm going to the hospital." She told Jess.

"The one where Sherry is?" Jess asked surprised.

"That was Rory. She's the only one there and she's freaking out because Sherry told the nurse she'd go in with her." Charlotte sighed. "I've never heard her this desperate before. I have to go."

"I'll come with you." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. "Thanks. But it's ok. I think this is something I need to do alone."

"Fair enough." He nodded.

"I'll see you later?"

"See you later." Jess nodded giving her a kiss. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Charlotte said before leaving.

* * *

"Uhh...excuse me, Sherry Tinsdale's room please?" Charlotte asked the receptionist as she got to the hospital.

"Right through there." She said.

"Thanks." Charlotte said heading towards the room.

"Charlotte!" Rory called coming down the corridor.

"Hey." Charlotte said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She enthused.

"You're welcome, but know that I will be holding this over you for the next ten years. What are you doing?" She asked.

"Xeroxing."

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Sherry had some status reports she promised to fax to people by tomorrow but she didn't bring enough so I've been trying to find a Xerox machine. I finally conned someone in ICU into letting me use theirs. I haven't found a fax machine yet but..." Rory explained.

"Ok, let's just go in." Charlotte said.

"But I have to fax these."

"Not right now you don't."

They walked into Sherry's room where she was just finishing off a phone call. She hung up and smiled at them. "Did you get those things faxed?" She asked.

"Uh...well..." Rory said.

"But this is work. I need to get it done!" Sherry said.

"I really think you shouldn't be working right this moment." Charlotte said.

"I can't just stop everything because I'm...I'm..." Sherry said.

"Having a baby?" Charlotte asked. "Yes you can. I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be stressing about work right now."

"I'm not ready. I had it planned. Your dad was supposed to be here!" She exclaimed.

"I know." Charlotte said quietly.

"I don't know what to do." Sherry admitted.

"Well, the first thing you should do is calm down and stop working." Charlotte said.

"Ok."

"And why are you sitting like that?" Charlotte asked.

"Maureen told me that Howard Stern said that if you squat, it makes the baby come out faster." Sherry said

Charlotte smirked. "Well as long as you have a sane reason from a reliable source."

"I'm scared." She admitted.

"I know. I'm pretty sure our mom felt exactly the same but not to blow our own trumpets but I'm pretty sure our mom wouldn't have changed it for anything." Charlotte said. "Hey, look at us!" She joked exchanging a smile with Rory.

Sherry smiled softly. "Well I hope I get that lucky." She said.

"You will." Rory smiled.

Sherry smiled at them. She then glanced at Charlotte. "Look, I don't know the details but I know something went on between you and your dad."

"I don't really want to talk about it..." Charlotte said uncomfortably.

"Oh no, I wasn't wanting you to. I just...I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you coming anyway. Both of you." She said softly. "So thank you."

"Hey, you're having our sister. There's nowhere else we'd rather be." Charlotte smiled.

"Thank you." Sherry smiled.

A while later, Rory was getting some coffee from the machine as Charlotte walked over to her. "Ok so she's jogging in place..." Charlotte smirked.

"Why?" Rory asked.

"I think she's hoping to aerobicize the thing right out of there." Charlotte joked.

"Well, should we stop her?"

"I tried. She almost took an eye out."

"Well, that can't be good for the baby."

"Well, it's probably no worse than the guilt trip she's going to get for showing up a week early." Charlotte smirked.

Rory smirked. "Here, I was just bringing you some coffee." She said handing over a cup.

"Thanks." Charlotte said. She hesitated before sepaking again. "Did you try calling dad again?" She asked.

"His cell's not in service or out of range or something." Rory sighed.

"Urghh I can't believe this!" Charlotte exclaimed. "You do know if he doesn't get here, I have to go in with her! I don't want to go in with her!"

"Sorry." Rory said quietly.

Charlotte sighed. "Isn't it ironic? This is actually one time I actually want dad to show up."

"Did I already thank you for coming?" Rory asked.

"Several times."

"Well I really do mean it. I know this was a huge thing for you and I'm sorry that I shouted at you before. I just...thank you." Rory said gratefully.

Charlotte smiled at her. "What are sisters for huh?" She said softly.

Rory smiled at her as they walked down the corridor back to Sherry's room when suddenly they heard a familiar voice.

"Rory! Charlotte!" He exclaimed running up to them.

"Dad!" Rory exclaimed. "You're here!"

"Has it happened? Did I miss it?" He asked frantically.

"No." Rory said.

"Like always, you have perfect timing." Charlotte spoke for the first time.

"Charlotte..." He started.

"Don't." Charlotte said quickly. "Sherry needs you right now. She's through there." She said.

Chris just nodded and rushed into the room. "Sherry!" He exclaimed rushing to her side.

"Christopher!" She exclaimed.

"I must have broken fifteen different laws getting here. I don't even remember where I left my car. I thought I wasn't going to make it!" Chris exclaimed.

"I thought you weren't going to make it either!" Sherry exclaimed. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Are you kidding? You think I'd miss this?" He asked.

Rory felt Charlotte bristle beside her but said nothing.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just, I'm just in a lot of pain and I can't think straight." She said.

"I take it this is your fiancé." The nurse said.

"Yeah, this is him. This is my Christopher." She smiled.

"Well, Christopher, are you coming in with us?" She asked.

"Try and stop me." He said.

"Ok, let's go then." She said as she started wheeling her out with Chris following.

"We'll be right here, waiting!" Rory called after them.

"Have fun!" Charlotte said.

Rory turned to her sister and smirked. "Have fun?"

"Well..." Charlotte shrugged.

* * *

Charlotte was reading in the waiting room while Rory had fallen asleep next to her when Christopher walked over.

"Hey..." He said hesitantly, not quite sure what reception he would get.

Charlotte looked up. "Hey." She said. She watched as her dad stood there awkwardly for a moment. "So I take it you're a dad again?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said. He hesitated for a moment. "Do you want to come and see her?" He asked.

Charlotte glanced at Rory beside her. "What about Rory?"

"We can wake her later." He said.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. She glanced at her dad and then sighed. "Sure." She said getting up.

She followed him down the hall until they were stood in front of the nursery window.

"There. That's Gigi. That's your sister." Chris said, not helping the smile that appeared on his face.

"Wow..." Charlotte said quietly, watching her sister sleep. She glanced at her dad. "She's beautiful." She said.

"I know. She's amazing. It was all...amazing." He said. Charlotte just nodded. He glanced at her. "Sherry told me how it was you that calmed her down when she was freaking out." He said quietly.

"I didn't do much." Charlotte shrugged.

"Well she doesn't think that. She won't stop singing your praises. She was so happy both you and Rory came. It meant a lot to her." Chris said. "And...it meant a lot to me knowing you were here too." He said softly.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Well what went on between us wasn't Sherry's fault. And it certainly wasn't Gigi's fault." She said quietly.

"Charlie, I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"Don't." Charlotte shook her head. She sighed when she saw his despondent face. "Look, I'm not going to lie. I don't think I can ever forgive you for what you did." She admitted.

"If I could take it back, I would." Chris tried.

"But..." Charlotte ignored him. She sighed. "You're still my dad. And it's so hard holding this grudge against you all the time. I want to get to know Gigi and I know Rory will want to too. But I know that will mean we will have to be around each other without shouting. And I'm willing to try that. You just need to promise me something." She said.

"Anything!" Chris said.

"Promise me, you'll be a proper dad to Gigi. Don't let her down like you did with me and Rory. She deserves better. Promise me you'll step up and be there for her." Charlotte said.

Chris smiled at her. "I promise." He said softly.

Charlotte nodded. "Good." She said.

"So are we ok?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Well I don't think we'll ever go back to what we were like before." Charlotte admitted. "But I won't deliberately avoid you anymore." She said with a slight smirk.

Chris chuckled. "I guess I'm going to have to take that. I've missed you, kid."

"Just don't mess up again. If you do, I'm out. Forever." She said.

"I won't, I promise." He said.

Charlotte nodded and gave him a small smile. "We should go wake Rory." She said.

"Yeah we should. Let's go." He smiled and they walked back towards the waiting room.

 **Sorry it's short but I promise the next chapter will be longer! :) Please keep the reviews coming. They really do motivate me and I really do appreciate all your comments, good or bad! So thank you! :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Just to say I may miss a few episodes but even if I miss them out, they still happened in this story. Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 27

Lorelai was sat at the counter at Luke's playing with her camera when Rory and Charlotte walked in and sat down next to her.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"Say cheese!" Lorelai grinned taking their picture. "I love my little digital camera. I want to marry it."

"Do you ever want to put it away?" Rory joked.

"Oh, you'll hurt little Digital Dan's feelings." Lorelai said.

"Sorry, D.D." Rory rolled her eyes.

Lorelai took another picture. "Gotcha! Oh no, wait. Oh, I missed!" She pouted. "Got a good one of you though. Nice cheekbones." She smiled at the customer sat next to them.

"So, do you think you could focus on something non-photographic for a second?" Rory asked.

"Aw, I'll try." Lorelai said putting her camera down.

"We were asked to pass this along to you." Charlotte said handing their mom an envelope.

"Something from Chilton? You've been dipping girls' hair in the inkwells again?" She joked.

"Read it and see." Rory said.

Lorelai groaned as she started reading the letter. "Urgh I'm being summoned to duty in the Booster Club!"

"Those bastards!" Charlotte joked.

"I feel like I should pack my rucksack, kiss my loved ones goodbye." Lorelai said dramatically.

"So, don't do it, then." Rory said.

"Yeah, you're both as good as out of there. Yale's grabbed you. It's too late. We don't need anything from Chilton." Lorelai said.

"Except our graduation tickets." Charlotte pointed out.

"We already got them." Lorelai said confused.

"But we need extras. We just put in the request and it's up to them now." Charlotte said.

"So we do need one kind of big thing." Lorelai sighed.

"And then there's our diplomas." Rory said.

"You'll get your diploma at graduation."

"No, we get our diploma holders at graduation." Rory said.

"Do you think they would withhold your diplomas based on my participation paucity?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know."

"Oh man, I'm screwed. I guess I've got to do it." Lorelai sighed.

Just then Luke walked over to them. "Hey guys." He said. He gave Lorelai a look when she immediately took a picture of him. "Was that necessary?" He asked.

"Oh man, you do not photograph well." Lorelai joked as she showed Rory and Charlotte who smirked.

"What?" He said.

"You've been getting some sleep, brother? Because that's forty miles bad running." Lorelai joked handing the camera over to him.

"I wasn't ready." He defended having a look at it. "Plus, it was a bad angle. Plus, this is a harsh light. A soft light would help with the thing with the eyes." He said.

"Look who knows what light he looks best in." Lorelai teased.

"You ready to order?" He asked.

"I'm going to take a picture of the menu and then order off the camera!" Lorelai said excitedly.

"Yell when she's tired of the thing." Luke told Rory and Charlotte.

"Give it time." Charlotte smirked.

"Now I'm going to zoom in on just the breakfast meats." Lorelai grinned.

"Go to town." Rory said.

* * *

That afternoon after school, Lane's band was practicing in the garage while Rory, Charlotte and Jess watched.

"Whoa, cool." Zach said as they finished a song.

"We all finished at the same time." Dave said just as amazed.

"That has never happened." Lane nodded.

"The middle of that song didn't even sound like us." Brian said.

"Yeah, it sounded good." Dave said.

"It sounded great, guys. All of it. Didn't it?" Rory smiled at Charlotte and Jess.

"Definitely! Very good." Charlotte nodded, agreeing.

"Not too shabby." Jess said.

"We are so ready for this gig." Dave said.

"We've got a gig. I just love the sound of that!" Lane grinned excitedly.

"Where is it?" Jess asked, not being able to help but think about how it could be him playing with them in a gig when Dave goes off to college.

"Kyle from school. His parents are going to Marriage Encounter for the weekend so he's throwing this mondo party." Lane told him.

"You got enough songs?" He asked.

"We have enough for two half-hour sets. What we need is a name." Dave said.

"I made my suggestion." Brian said.

"Yeah, and we vetoed "The Harry Potters." Next." Zach rolled his eyes.

"So yours is better?" Brian retorted.

"Follow Them to the Edge of the Dessert is memorable and classy." Zach defended.

"I run out of breath every time I say it!" Brian said.

"You've got asthma, dude. You run out of breath saying your name." Zach said.

"Yeah, Brian, we can't work our name around your respiratory illnesses." Dave said trying to broker peace.

"Even without an inhaler, Follow Them to the Edge of the Dessert is too long." Brian said.

"Yeah, but when we get famous, our fans will shorten it to FTTTEOTD." Zach said.

"Do you guys have any suggestions?" Dave said trying to hide a smirk as he looked at Rory, Charlotte and Jess.

"Oh, we wouldn't dare." Rory smirked.

"Hey Lane, how are you going to play a party like this with your mom being so strict?" Brian asked.

"Easy. Rory, Charlotte and Jess are going to deliver my drums to Kyle's house for me, then my friend Young Chui is going to pick me up to take me to a fictional Seventh Day Adventist bowling party that will conveniently last the length of our gig." Lane said.

"Nice going." Zach said.

"I've got my own ball and shoes." Brian said.

"Dude, don't tell people that!" Zach said.

"We'll see you guys later." Charlotte laughed as the three of them left the garage.

"Yeah, see ya." Jess said.

"So, is Tristan coming to the party as well?" Charlotte asked Rory.

"He said he would." Rory shrugged.

Charlotte glanced at her sister. She had noticed that Rory and Tristan hadn't been hanging out as much recently. "Is everything ok between the two of you?" She asked cautiously.

Rory sighed. "He's just been distant recently. I don't know why. He's started hanging out with Duncan and Bowman again."

"But I thought they had left." Charlotte said confused.

"Apparently they've come back and they've dragged Tristan back in with them. I've tried to tell him they're bad news but it just ends up in an argument." Rory said.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said sympathetically.

"He said he'll come to the party but I'm not holding my breath. He's been blowing me off at the last minute a lot lately." Rory shrugged.

"Well you can still come. You can hang out with us and Lane's band will be good." Charlotte said.

Rory smiled. "Yeah I'm still coming." She said.

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "I can't believe it's nearly the end of the school year. I'm so excited about Prom!" She grinned.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot about the prom." Jess said.

"No, you were trying to forget about the prom." Charlotte teased.

"I agreed to go and I am a man of my word." Jess smirked.

"How's that arm Charlotte twisted?" Rory joked.

"I just got the feeling back in it." Jess joked.

"Oh stop!" Charlotte laughed. "It's just if there was one more dance I want to go to in my whole life, it'd be the Stars Hollow High prom, with Lane. And you as well if you decided to change proms." She said to Rory. "That's a big part of it." She said.

"I know. I'm getting the tickets this week." Jess said.

"And I'll pay, ok?" Charlotte said.

"Not a chance." Jess said.

"It means a tux, you know. I know it's geeky." Charlotte said.

"Tuxes are also James Bond. That's not geeky." Jess said.

"You're kind." Charlotte smiled.

"And going to stash a change of clothes in the limo." Jess smirked.

"Ah forever the rebel." Charlotte teased as they went inside the house.

* * *

After the fire at the inn the previous week, Luke was on the floor examining the wall behind the stove as Sookie watched on when Lorelai walked in.

"Sookie!" Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah?"

"I need love and a hug. I just had to lay off Julio!" Lorelai said sadly.

"Oh, poor thing!" Sookie sympathised.

"That's the third one today. All I'm doing is crushing people's spirits." She sighed.

"But you told them that we all love them and will hire them back as soon as all the repairs are done?"

"And I gave them their severance checks and they were all very gracious, which made it that much harder." She said.

"We're going to get them back. It'll all be good again." Sookie said.

"I had to lay off Frank too, but I just couldn't do another one so Michel offered to do it." Lorelai grimaced.

"Did he say he'd be nice?" Sookie said worriedly.

"Yes. And then he skipped off to do it." Lorelai said.

"Oh boy." Sookie sighed.

"So, what's going on with Luke here?" She asked.

"I don't know. I've been keeping my distance because of what happened." Sookie said.

"What happened?"

"Well, he was lying on the floor pretty much like that tinkering with stuff back there and I got down and leaned in to see what he was doing, and after a while, I realized that the whole time my hand was on his butt." Sookie admitted.

"Sookie! You've been feeling up my man?" Lorelai teased.

"It was an accident!" Sookie exclaimed.

"It's getting very Cinemax at night in here." Lorelai joked.

"It was embarrassing." Sookie said.

"Uh huh." Lorelai said glancing over at Luke. "So what did you think of it?" She asked.

"His butt?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah."

"It's got a nice shape to it." She said.

"It does, doesn't it?" Lorelai grinned.

"Will you two stop talking about my butt?" Luke growled as he got up.

"It's all positive!" Lorelai grinned.

"And in bad taste." Luke said walking over to them.

"So what's the prognosis?" Lorelai asked.

"It's the same as what the stove company told you. The wall back here is burned from the fire. You're going to have to rebuild the whole thing before you can even think of reconnecting the gas. It's going to take a while, sorry." He said.

"No, Luke, thanks for doing this." Lorelai sighed. "It's exactly what the contractor said. We just wanted a guy with a good butt's opinion." She teased.

"Yeah, Tom has a terrible butt." Sookie grinned.

"Please stop that." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, thanks for coming. See you later?" Lorelai smiled.

"You bet." Luke said.

"Bye hon." Lorelai smiled giving him a kiss.

"Bye." Luke smiled and then left just as Michel came in.

"Did you know that Frank rescues Chow puppies?" He said.

"Uh, no." Lorelai said.

"He feeds and houses them on his own until he finds an owner. We can't fire him. And they are so cute!" Michel gushed showing her a photo. "Chin-Chin and Pau-Pau. Pau-Pau's the one with the squatty little nose. I took them both." He said excitedly.

"Oh, ok...well good job." Lorelai said.

"I have to go buy dog food. Will you fire Frank for me?" He asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Sure thing."

* * *

Early evening on the day of the party, Lorelai walked into the living room where Rory and Charlotte were getting ready to leave.

"You're off to the party this early?" She asked.

"We're helping the band set up. So is Jess. I'm doing the cymbals." Charlotte said.

"You're not taking your purses." Lorelai said.

"We're not?" Rory asked.

"You don't need money, you don't need ID." Lorelai pointed out.

"Well, where will we keep our house keys?" Charlotte asked.

"You'll put your house keys through the metal thingy on your belts. You'll only lose it if you take off your belt, and if you're taking off your belt for any reason at the party, I'm not sure I want you coming home." Lorelai joked.

"Yeah because Jess and I were thinking about making out in a house full of people where anyone could walk in on us." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Well you won't with your house key on your belt." Lorelai joked.

"Great." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Ok, are your shoes okay? You got good traction?" She asked.

"Traction?" Rory asked.

"Well, there'll be liquids of various textures and disgustingness. You eating there?" She asked.

"If they have stuff." Rory nodded.

"Do not eat chips out of a communal bowl. You might as well stick your hand in a toilet." Lorelai said.

"Nice." Charlotte smirked.

"If you're desperate, offer to be the person who replenishes them with new bags and grab a handful out of the new bag and dump the rest in the communal bowl."

"You're full of useful knowledge." Charlotte teased.

"And keep in mind that getting up on a table and performing a song of any kind will haunt you for the rest of your life. Trust me. Been there, done that." Lorelai grinned.

"I don't think either of us were planning on doing that." Rory smirked.

"Hmm, well those things are never planned. You going now?" She asked.

"Yup." Charlotte nodded.

"I'm going, too. I'll lock it up." Lorelai said.

"Otherwise we'd have to undo our belts." Charlotte joked. "Enjoy your Booster Club meeting."

"I will. Have fun." Lorelai smiled giving them a kiss each.

"We will. Bye mom." Rory smiled.

"Yeah bye!" Charlotte smiled before following Rory out.

* * *

At Kyle's house, the band is setting up before the party.

"Does this set up feel right to everybody?" Dave asked.

"Cool by me." Lane said.

"Me too." Brian said.

"How's it look out there?" Dave asked Rory, Charlotte and Jess.

"Like you're going to bullet straight to the top of the charts, with a bullet or a...a gun's going to shoot a bullet, and I'm not...uh...familiar with the precise terminology, but it's working, right?" She asked turning to Charlotte for help.

"It's good." Charlotte smirked.

"They look like a band to me." Jess said.

"You need to move back more." Zach said.

"Why?" Brian asked.

"Because when I do my double jump kick off the amp with slashing windmills, I'm going to need more room." Zach said.

"Well, don't do that then." Lane said.

"Yeah, sounds a little too much, Zach." Dave agreed.

"And if I back up anymore, my extension cord might damage the miniature date palm." Brian said.

"The what?" Lane asked.

"It's what that's called. My aunt's got one."

"Dude, don't call plants by their specific names, it's very not rock and roll." Zach said.

"Let's finalise the set list, guys." Dave said.

"We're here a little early, don't you think?" Jess said to Charlotte.

"No, we're with the band. We're the roadies and the sound crew and I'm advising on makeup for Lane with Rory and I'm the keeper of Brian's sandwich and thermos. So we're busy backstage-type people." Charlotte smiled.

"We're dork-early." Jess said.

Charlotte frowned. She had noticed a change in Jess that day. "What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"Nothing." He grumbled.

"I beg to differ. You've been in a mood like this since yesterday." Charlotte said. "Come on, get into the spirit of things. Hello Cleveland!" She exclaimed thrusting her fist in the air.

"Guess I'll wander around a little." Jess sighed.

Charlotte just shook her head as she watched him walk off. She couldn't help but laugh though as Zach suddenly jumped off the amp and knocks over the microphone.

"And you couldn't even work your slashing windmills in." Dave said.

"Yeah, maybe I'll skip it." Zach said.

"Good thinking." Dave nodded.

* * *

Later that evening, Charlotte walked up to Jess. "They're getting ready to go on. They're all hyperventilating to the same rhythm so that's a positive sign. What are you looking at?" She asked.

"The happy family. Kinda depressing if you ask me." Jess said putting down a photo frame.

"Oh, Mr. Sunshine. You're spreading so much joy around, you're embarrassing yourself." Charlotte said. "You've got to get a little more moody." She teased.

"I'll try." Jess said dryly.

"Let's look around a little bit." Charlotte said linking arms with him. She glanced at him. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine." He said. They walk past a crying girl. "Seems a little early for that."

"It never is." Charlotte said.

"Bathroom line." Jess noted.

"Figures." Charlotte said as they went into the kitchen to find Kyle and his friends standing around the keg.

"Hey. What's up with you guys?" Jess asked.

"Stupid keg!" Kyle said.

"It's not working." Marshall complained.

"Where's the tap?" Jess asked.

"The what?" Kyle asked.

Jess rolled his eyes. "It's a keg, it's sealed. You need to hook up a tap to pump the beer out." He said.

"I told you the thing in the bag did something!" Kyle exclaimed.

Rick pulled out the tap from the bag. "No instructions!" He complained.

"Jeez1" Jess said taking the tap and attaching it to the keg. "There, start pumping." He said.

"Alright! To Jess!" Marshall said.

"To Jess." Kyle said.

"Yeah yeah." Jess said and started walking off.

"You and Springsteen, the working man's hero." Charlotte teased.

They left the kitchen and walked up to the band. "You ready to go on, guys?" Charlotte asked.

"Only if Brian rallies." Dave said.

"What's wrong, Brian?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't feel good." Brian said.

"It's his heartburn again." Dave said.

"I told you, dude, it's your citrus intake. Stop eating oranges!" Zach exclaimed.

Charlotte and Jess walked off and joined Rory. "Hey! Isn't Tristan here yet?" Charlotte asked.

"Not yet." Rory sighed.

Just then, Lane rushed up to them. "Guys, you have to do me a huge favour!" She exclaimed.

"Name it." Rory said.

"Young Chui's driving me crazy!" She exclaimed.

"What do you want us to do?" Rory asked.

"Uh...if you see any unattached girls who you think would go for a very available...uh...needy, self-delusional guy, send them Young Chui's way." Lane said.

"We'll keep a lookout." Charlotte smirked.

"Lane, we're on." Dave said coming up to them.

"Oh my god, this is it!" Lane exclaimed.

"Knock them dead." Rory smiled.

"Yeah good luck!" Charlotte smiled.

Dave was stood on the stage with the band. "Wait, someone's got to introduce us. Rory, introduce us!" He said.

"Me? Why me?" Rory asked.

"Go on!" Charlotte pushed her towards the stage as the crowd shouted for them to start.

"Alright. Uh...now, who wants to hear some tunes?" She asked causing the crowd to cheer. "Ok, good, there's a consensus. Here they are, Stars Hollow's rockingest band. Although they're not all from Stars Hollow, but they...uh...they practice there, so we kind of consider them our own. Here they are..." She said stopping and looking at the band. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Follow them to the Edge of the Dessert." Zach said.

"The Chops." Dave said at the same time.

"Uh...here they are. The..." Rory said before mumbling their name, letting the band start playing.

* * *

Half an hour later, the band finished up a song and the crowd cheered.

"Ok, thanks. Uh...we're going to take a short break and then we'll be back." Dave told everyone.

"Guys, that was amazing. Really, it was awesome!" Rory enthused.

"Yeah really good!" Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Dave smiled.

"Yeah we were actually good." Zach said.

Rory turned to Charlotte. "I'm just going to ring Tristan. See where he is." She said.

"Ok." Charlotte said. She then turned to Jess. "They were really good, right?" She smiled.

"Not bad." Jess admitted. "So what now?" He asked.

"What do you mean, what now?" She asked.

"Let's go, let's get out of here." He said.

"Go where?" Charlotte frowned.

"Anywhere."

"It's early." She said.

"It's boring."

"Jess, we can't just go!" Charlotte said starting to get annoyed.

"Yes we can."

"The band's playing a whole other set!"

"They can do it without us." Jess said.

"I don't want to leave. Now, come on, try to have fun. Talk, mingle." She said.

"I don't want to talk to anybody else. I don't like anybody else." He grumbled.

"Well I don't want to leave. I need to stay here for Lane, come on. Please!" Charlotte said.

"Fine." He relented.

"Gloomy." She teased.

"We'll go right when they get done playing, ok?"

"Sure, Grandpa." She teased.

"Charlie..."

"We'll go then, I promise." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

As they walked through the house they ran into Dean and Lindsey.

"Oh hey guys!" Charlotte smiled. She'd never had a problem with Dean and she had been friends with Lindsey when she was at Stars Hollow High.

"Hey." Dean smiled.

"Hey Charlotte." Lindsey smiled.

"So, what did you think of Lane's band?" Charlotte asked Lindsey.

"I liked them." She said. "Although I didn't recognise most of the songs." She admitted.

"She's not a music freak like you and Rory." Dean joked.

"Well, we can't all be freaks." Charlotte joked causing them to laugh.

"True." Dean chuckled.

"So what kind of music do you like?" She asked Lindsey.

"I don't know...uh...Michelle Branch, Matchbox 20." She said.

"Jeez." Jess said from beside Charlotte.

Charlotte frowned at him and then turned back to them. "I like them too. I mean, I like all kinds of things." She smiled.

"I'm going to go see what the hell's holding up this line." Jess grumbled before walking away.

"I'm sorry. He's not feeling well." Charlotte apologised.

"That's too bad." Lindsey said.

"Well, we'll see you later." Dean said.

"Bye." Lindsey smiled.

"Bye guys." Charlotte said. She sighed before walking off to find Jess who was in the next room. "What the hell was that?" She demanded.

"What?" He grunted.

"You know what! They were being nice and you were such a jerk! What gives you the right to make fun of someone's choice of music?" She exclaimed annoyed.

"Why were you even talking to them? Dean's Rory's ex!" Jess said.

"Because we're all still friends. Just because they broke up, doesn't mean we can't still be friends!" Charlotte snapped. "Now what's up with you? You were looking forward to this party. Why are you so moody?"

"I'm fine." He grumbled.

"Well you're obviously not! Look, just cheer up alright or else you're on your own! Let me enjoy the party." She snapped walking off.

Jess sighed and rushed after her. "Ok, look, I'm sorry alright. I'll be better, I promise!"

"You better be." Charlotte mumbled.

"Look I'll even apologise to Lindsey if that'll make you happy. And you know I don't apologise!" He said.

Charlotte smirked slightly. "Thank you." She said. She then looked around. "Have you seen Rory?"

"No, not since she went to ring Tristan." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs, Rory was on the phone to Tristan. "What do you mean, you don't think you'll make it?" She exclaimed. "You promised!"

"I'm sorry! But something came up. I won't have time." Tristan said.

"Something as in someone? Or someones? You're hanging with Duncan and Bowman again, aren't you?" Rory snapped.

"So what if I am?" Tristan said defensively. "I'm allowed to have other friends."

"Yes you are but I'd prefer them to be people who won't get you expelled!"

"You worry too much! I can be friends with who I like. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Tristan said.

"Yeah unless you've been expelled!" Rory snapped.

"You know what? Screw you, Rory! I don't dictate who you can be friends with!" Tristan snapped. "If you can't trust me, maybe we shouldn't be together!"

"What?" Rory said surprised.

"You heard me." Tristan said sullenly.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Rory asked quietly.

"This isn't working! We're always arguing!"

"Because you're being a jerk at the moment!" Rory exclaimed.

"You know what, forget it! Have a nice time at the party." Tristan snapped before hanging up.

Rory hung up in shock. Had Tristan just broke up with her? She wiped away some tears that she hadn't realised were falling down her face. She took a deep breath before heading for the door to head back downstairs. Just as she was about to leave, Chuck Presby appeared at the door.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She mumbled, not really wanting to get into a conversation with him.

"You don't seem it. I heard you shouting on the phone. Is everything ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Just some boyfriend drama, that's all. I need to get back downstairs. Lane's band is bout to play again." Rory said trying to get past him but Chuck blocked her way.

"What's the rush?" He smiled walking forward which meant Rory had to walk backwards. "You've got some time. Why don't we have some fun up here? Show that boyfriend of yours what he's missing." He smirked.

"What?" Rory said. "No...I...uh...I should get back downstairs." She said starting to get worried as she found herself pushed back against the bed in the room.

"Come on, just relax! This'll be fun." Chuck smirked, pushing her down onto the bed as he started getting on top of her.

"No! I don't want this! Please!" Rory exclaimed, feeling tears falling down her face again. "Please no!"

"Just relax!" Chuck said.

"Help! Someone!" Rory called out. "Please!" Just then the door opened and Rory was relieved to see Dean there. "Dean!" She exclaimed.

Dean took in the sight and suddenly saw red. "What the hell are you doing? Get off her!" He shouted angrily rushing forward and pulling Chuck off Rory and aiming a punch at him.

Rory watched in horror as Dean and Chuck started pulling punches at each other. She couldn't think about anything else apart from getting out of there though so she sprinted for the door and ran downstairs. She immediately saw Charlotte and Jess and ran to them, launching herself at her sister, clinging onto her tightly. "Charlie!" She exclaimed tearfully.

"Whoa, what's wrong? Is it Tristan?" Charlotte asked shocked by the state Rory was in. "Rory? Talk to me." She said worried.

"I...I was talking to Tristan. We had a fight. I was on my way down when...when...Chuck appeared..." She said shakily.

"Chuck Presby?"

"Yeah..." Rory said shuddering at that name. "He...He...tried...He tried..." She stammered.

"He tried what?" Charlotte asked dreading the answer. "Rory..." She said softly.

"He tried it on with me. I kept telling him no but he was on top and he was too strong..." She exclaimed crying. "I tried to push him off! I did!" She said launching herself at Charlotte again.

"It's ok." Charlotte said softly, shocked by what her sister had just confessed. She held her sister close.

"That son of a..." Jess said menacingly, beside them. "Where is he?" He said.

"Jess..." Charlotte warned.

"Dean found us. He pulled Chuck off..." Rory sniffed.

Just then, Dean and Chuck appeared flying down the stairs pulling punches at each other. Jess saw red and ran towards them.

"Jess, no!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Hey Chuck! Remember that first fight we got into?" Jess said ignoring Charlotte. "Well you've not seen anything yet!" He said menacingly before punching him in the stomach.

Charlotte and Rory watched in horror as a full scale fight through the house started between the three of them, Dean and Jess going for Chuck whenever they could. Some kids pushed Dean, Jess and Chuck out onto the front lawn.

"Guys just stop it!" Charlotte exclaimed following them out with Rory. Three guys grabbed hold of them and pulled them apart. Charlotte managed to grab hold of Jess as Chuck ran off and Dean just stood at the side panting. "What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I won't defend Rory in the future then. That jerk just won't get what was coming to him." Jess said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! You've been looking for a fight all evening! What's wrong? Why are you so mad?" Charlotte exclaimed but before Jess could answer, police sirens could be heard and suddenly a police car appeared at the house.

"Cops." Rick said.

"Oh no, man! You're dead." Marshall told Kyle.

"Oh god." Kyle groaned.

"Ok, dump your cups and go home. Now!" The police officer said.

"I'm out of here." Jess said walking off.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Please!"

Jess turned round and looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk away, leaving Charlotte standing there wondering what on earth was wrong with her boyfriend. She was interrupted by Lane's voice though, bring her to reality.

"Charlie!" Lane exclaimed.

Charlotte looked around to see Rory being sick in the bushes. She glanced in the direction where Jess was still walking away before rushing to her sister's aid, rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's ok." She said softly. "It's ok. You're ok."

 **Hope you liked the twist on this episode! :) Please keep the reviews coming! I really love reading them so thank you! :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm really enjoying writing this story so I hope you're enjoying reading it! :)**

Chapter 28

The morning after the party, Lorelai was waiting on the sidewalk as Charlotte and Rory walked out of the house with a backpack.

"Have you see these guys? They're hilarious." Lorelai grinned watching Kyle and Marshall clean up the front garden.

"I got it, we can go." Rory said.

"Why are you holding it like that?" Lorelai asked.

"Because when Lane left it here last night, it was a very different colour." Rory said uncomfortably.

"You never said why you threw up over Lane's backpack." Lorelai said.

Rory exchanged a glance with Charlotte. "I think I might have just drunk a bit too much." She lied.

"Ok..." Lorelai said buying it. She then grinned. "Your first cop-raided party. I am just so proud." She said.

"Mom..." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I just wish I could've been there." Lorelai joked.

"It was no big deal." Rory said quietly.

"So tell me more about this party last night. I mean, I know the end, but what happened in the middle?" She asked.

"Lane's band played, they were great, and then people just hung out and talked. And then...uh...there was some sort of fight, I guess. The cops came, that's it." Rory said.

"Hmmm..." Lorelai said.

Just then Luke walked up to the house.

"Hey Luke!" Lorelai said surprised to see him

Luke stopped by them looking frustrated. "I'm in bed. I have ten more minutes to sleep. Not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but still, ten minutes is ten minutes. You know what I mean." He ranted.

"Sure, yeah." Lorelai nodded.

"Ten minutes is great." Charlotte agreed.

"And then the phone rings, and it just rings and rings and rings and rings, so I pick it up." He continued.

"And then hopefully got your hearing checked." Lorelai quipped.

Luke gave her a look. "Can I finish my story?"

"I'm just saying, that's a lot of rings." She said.

"And on the other end of the phone is someone named John who says he's Kyle's father, and Kyle threw a party last night without permission. And three guys got into a fight and tore the place apart, so John wants me to come down and take a look at the damage and discuss some sort of solution to the problem of the damages. Now, I don't know John, and I certainly don't know Kyle but I do know someone who would get into a fight at a party and leave the place completely trashed. It's a wild guess, but I think his name rhymes with Tess. So here I am, heading in there to talk to John about Kyle and discuss what is to be done about the Hummel." He ranted.

"The what?" Lorelai asked confused.

"Exactly." Luke said before walking inside the house.

Lorelai looked at her daughters. "Uh...so let's get back to the party recap. Any little details you want to tell Mommy?" She asked.

"Jess and Dean got into the fight with Chuck Presby." Charlotte admitted.

"Why? Why were they fighting Chuck Presby? And why was Dean involved?" Lorelai asked confused.

Charlotte glanced at Rory who looked uncomfortable. "Chuck was saying stuff about me and Rory. Jess defended us and Dean overheard as well and the next thing I know, they're having a full scale fight." She lied, covering for Rory. She knew Rory wouldn't want their mom knowing what really happened.

"So it was over you?" She asked.

"Sort of." Charlotte said.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No." Rory said.

"And that's why the cops came and broke up the party?" She asked.

"Yes." Charlotte said.

"So not only did you go to a cop-raided party but you started the raid?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes." Charlotte repeated.

"This fence is broken because of you, this crap is on the ground because of you."

"What's your point?"

Lorelai grinned. "Did you ever know that you're my hero?" She started to sing.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte exclaimed walking away with Rory.

"You're everything I would like to be. And I could fly higher than an eagle, because you are the wind beneath my wings." She sang running after them.

* * *

The priest was leading a service at the front of the church as Charlotte and Rory walked in with Lane's backpack and took it to Lane, who was sitting at a table at the back of the church.

"Hey." Rory said.

"Hi." She said.

"Here. And I'm sorry again." Rory said.

"Forget it." Lane said. "How are you doing?" She asked softly.

"I'm ok." Rory said.

"Did you tell your mom?" Lane asked.

"No." Rory said quickly.

"I told her she should." Charlotte said.

"You totally should. Chuck shouldn't get away with it." Lane said.

"I just want to forget it ever happened." Rory said quietly. "I know that's crazy but if I told mom, she'd freak out and I don't want the hassle at school. We're graduating soon and I'm never going to see him again. There's no point."

"Fair enough." Lane sighed. "But you're really ok right?"

Rory gave her a smile. "Yeah I'm ok." She said softly.

"Have you spoken to Tristan?" Lane asked.

"No." Rory sighed.

"What actually happened?" Charlotte asked. "You didn't say."

"We got in a fight. He was hanging out with Duncan and Bowman again. I told him he was an idiot and he told me if I didn't like it, maybe we shouldn't be together." Rory said quietly.

"He broke up with you?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I don't know." Rory admitted.

"Well he's a jerk if he has. You don't deserve him." Lane said protectively.

"I guess I'll have to talk to him at school. God knows how that will be." Rory sighed.

"Well I'll have your back." Charlotte said. "He messes you around and you tell me. Friend or not, he doesn't get away with treating you like this."

Rory smiled at her sister. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly. "Talking of boys, have you spoken to Jess yet?"

"No." Charlotte sighed. "He's been in such a mood. I don't know why he's been like this."

"I'm sure there's an explanation. Hey, he defended me yesterday. He's not a bad person." Rory said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Yeah I know." She said.

"We should get going. See you later?" Rory said to Lane.

"Yeah see you later." Lane smiled.

* * *

Luke walked into a packed diner to be greeted by an annoyed Jess.

"Where the hell have you been? The place is a freaking zoo. Every table's full and I've got Sammy Davis Jr. here thinking it's the Desert Inn." He grumbled.

"I had to run an errand." Luke said.

"Everybody's complaining, we're out of ham, Caesar's suddenly decided to join the Slow Food Movement and I've got a guy who's moved in at a table for four. He just sits, making it impossible for me to turn over that table, and if I can't turn over that table then that cuts way back on my tips." Jess said.

"I'm sorry, don't you mean my tips?" Luke said following him behind the counter.

"What?" Jess said.

"You know where I was this morning?"

"No."

"I was at Kyle's. His parents called me this morning."

"Oh yeah?"

"Seems a little party you went to last night got a little Animal House, huh?" Luke said.

"Chuck started it." Jess grumbled.

"Oh, you're not really gonna use that one, are you?" Luke said.

"Well, he did! He...well he was fighting Dean and I was helping Dean." Jess said.

"Oh, apparently you defended yourself all the way through the house and out into the front yard. You defended yourself with a chair that is now broken. You defended yourself with a coffee table. You defended yourself with an ottoman." Luke exclaimed.

"I don't need a recap."

"Do you have any idea how much damage you caused?"

"It wasn't just me." Jess said.

"The place was trashed. Are you trying to kill me?" He exclaimed.

"Nope, it'll just be a perk." He said dryly.

"Ok, well here's the deal. From now on, every cent that you make here goes toward paying them back." Luke said.

"Hey, what about..."

"Dean's paying them back also." Luke said.

"What about Chuck?"

"I don't know."

"Figures." Jess grumbled.

"You are making good on this, Jess. I mean it!" Luke said.

"I have to get more coffee out of the store room." Jess said walking away.

"Every cent is getting paid back. I never want those people calling me again!" Luke called after him. He let out an exasperated breath. He noticed the man at table four get up and leave. He noticed that the man left his wallet on the table so he went and picked it up and then rushed out the door to catch him. "Hey, you left your wallet! Hey!" He called but the man didn't turn back. He opened the wallet and checked the ID and was shocked by what he found.

* * *

Rory rushed into the Franklin meeting that evening. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" She apologised for being late.

"The issue is a disaster. It's our last issue of the Franklin and it's a complete disaster!" Paris exclaimed.

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Rory said.

"And that's why you won't need to botox your frown lines on your nineteenth birthday." Paris said. She turned to another student. "Not that picture, no, put it down. Put it down now!" She exclaimed walking away.

Rory walked over to Madeline and Louise. "How's it coming?" She asked.

"Very frustrating." Louise said.

"We just can't seem to get exactly the right combination." Madeline sighed.

"Alright, how about blue dress, blonde guy, black limo? Works best for me." Louise said.

"Yes, however green dress, red-haired guy, white limo works best for me." Madeline said.

"White limo with blonde guy totally doesn't work. It's too washed up."

"I'm assuming this conversation veered off of the cover page placement?" Rory said smirking slightly.

"How about black-haired guy, green dress and tan limo?" Madeline suggested.

"Tan limo?"

"Good neutral backdrop."

"Well, this opens up a whole new set of options. Bring the golf team back in." Louise said.

"Ok, why don't I just get these pesky Franklin articles out of your way? There we go." Rory said.

"What are you doing?" Paris asked walking up to her.

"I am working on the front page placement."

"What are they doing?" Paris asked looking over at Madeline and Louise.

"Staying true to who they are." Rory smirked.

"Look, prom is once. It happens, it's photographed, and then it's there forever." Louise said.

"Planning is essential." Madeline nodded.

"By the way, Paris, we left a space for you in the limo. However, we're going need the colour of your dress." Louise said.

"And a picture of Jamie." Madeline said.

"And the amount of flexibility that you have with the colour of your dress."

"And with Jamie."

"Thank you, but we've already made our plans for prom night. Jamie hired a private car to drive us to the prom. We'll go in, take the picture, depending on the level of lameness, dance. Then he's taking me to dinner at Antoine's, followed by a helicopter ride to join his parents out in Martha's Vineyard for the weekend." Paris said.

"What colour's the helicopter?"

"As you were." Paris rolled her eyes. She turned to Rory. "So, have you figured out your plans for prom night yet?" She asked.

"Oh..well..." Rory said suddenly seeing Tristan walk in. She caught his eye but then looked away quickly. "I'm not sure yet." She told Paris.

"Well I can't wait." Paris smiled.

"Yeah.." Rory said watching Paris go off to check the progress of the paper. She sighed and got on with the front page.

"Can we talk?" A voice said next to her.

Rory looked up to see Tristan standing there. "Here?"

"Outside." He said.

"Sure." Rory sighed and followed him out into the hallway. "So?"

"I just wanted to make sure we're ok." He said.

"Well I don't know. Are we still boyfriend and girlfriend?" Rory asked crossing her arms.

Tristan sighed. "I never should have said that last night. I'd had a bit to drink and I was angry. I'm sorry." He said.

"Ok." Rory said still not uncrossing her arms.

"So how was the party?" He asked.

"I'd rather not talk about the party." She said quietly.

"Why?" He frowned.

"I'd just rather not." Rory said finally uncrossing her arms and looking anywhere but at him.

"Rory?" Tristan said. "Did something happen?"

"It doesn't matter." Rory said.

"It does! You're upset, I can tell. Is it because I wasn't there? Is that why you're upset? Are you still mad?" He asked.

Rory sighed. "No." She said. "I'm not mad." She said quietly.

"Then what?" He asked. "Rory, you can talk to me." He said softly.

"Can I? Can I really?" She asked finally looking at him, with tears in her eyes. "Because you made it clear last night that I had no right telling you what to do and you had no interest in what I had to say."

"I'm sorry." Tristan said ashamed. "I love you. I want to be with you. I was a jerk last night and I'm sorry."

Rory sniffed. "This guy who goes to Stars Hollow High..." She said. "He...he heard me shouting at you on the phone. He saw I was upset and asked if I was ok. He's a jerk so I just said I was and wanted to get back downstairs and away from him. But...but he wouldn't let. He...he..." She said, her voice shaking.

"He what? What did he do?" Tristan asked.

"He tried it on with him. I told him no! I told him I didn't want to. But he insisted. He told me to show you what you were missing. I swear I told him no! I told him I didn't want to! You have to believe me!" Rory said letting tears fall. "Please say you believe me!"

"Hey, come here!" Tristan said softly bringing her into a hug. "Of course, I believe you."

Rory cried into his shoulder. "I kept telling him no but he pushed me back onto the bed and I couldn't get him off..." She admitted.

"Please tell me he didn't..." Tristan said his blood boiling.

"No." Rory said quietly. "Dean heard him calling for help and came in and pulled him off before anything could happen. I legged it and ran downstairs as fast as I could. I was so scared, Tristan. He wouldn't take no for an answer. I thought...I thought he was going to..." She cried.

"I'm so sorry." Tristan said softly, holding her tightly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there." He said feeling guilty. "I should have been there."

"It's not your fault." Rory sniffed, wiping some tears away. She looked up at him. "I'm sorry I shouted at you on the phone. I was annoyed. You only seem to have time for Duncan and Bowman at the moment and I was worried you'd get yourself into trouble. You had no time for me anymore and I was angry. But I shouldn't have said what I did."

"No, you don't need to apologise. I was being a jerk. You were totally right." He shook his head. "From now on, you're number one to me ok? I don't want us to end. And I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did."

"So you're not breaking up with me?" Rory asked quietly.

"God no. I'd be an idiot to let you go." Tristan said. "Although I'm feeling like an idiot at the moment anyway." He added.

Rory smirked slightly. "Nah you're not an idiot." She said. "You have been. But now, well I'm just glad you're here." She admitted.

"I'm so sorry." Tristan said softly. "We'll be ok, right?"

Rory smiled and leant forward to kiss him. "I'd really like us to be ok." She said softly.

"I love you. More than anything." He said.

"I love you too." She said softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Charlotte walked over to the bridge where she found Jess sitting on the edge staring out at the water. She slowly walked over to him. "Hey." She said quietly.

He looked up at her. "Hey." He said.

"Can I sit?" She asked.

"Sure."

Charlotte sat down next to him. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again not really knowing what to say.

"How's Rory?" Jess asked.

"She's ok. Well, she's not. She's shaken by what happened but she's just keen to forget all about it. She's at school at the moment doing something with the paper." She told him.

Jess just nodded. He glanced at her. "I'm sorry I've been a jerk." He said finally.

Charlotte looked across at him. "What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"I couldn't get prom tickets." He admitted.

"What?" She said surprised.

"They said because I'm not graduating, I'm not allowed." Jess said quietly, glancing at her. "I'm sorry."

"Oh." Charlotte said quietly. She looked at him. "That's why you've been in a mood?"

"I felt bad. You were so excited about the prom and because I messed everything up, you can't go." Jess sighed. "I was angry at myself and I took it out on you and everyone else. I'm sorry."

Charlotte sighed. "You could have just told me." She said. "Am I disappointed? Yeah, of course. But it's not the end of the world. We can just do something else instead." She said.

"Really?" He asked looking across at her.

"We can make our own fun. Who needs prom?" Charlotte shrugged.

"You really mean that?" Jess asked.

Charlotte smiled at him. "I know you will have tried to get tickets. You had no idea that you wouldn't be allowed. It's not your fault." She said. She then smirked. "I still love you."

Jess smirked slightly. "Good to know." He said but let out a relieved breath.

"I wish you would have just told me. I was thinking all sorts!" She said.

"Sorry." He said.

"It's fine." Charlotte said. "Just know you can always talk to me ok? About anything."

"Ok." Jess said.

"Good." Charlotte smiled.

"You can always push me in the lake in revenge. I hear it's cathartic." Jess smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "I'll think about it." She smirked.

* * *

As Charlotte and Jess were hanging out on the bridge, Luke had gone to a motel and knocked on the door. The man who had left his wallet in the diner opened the door and was surprised to see him. "You left your wallet in the diner." Luke said tossing it to him.

"Oh, wow, did I? Look at that. I guess I did. Thanks for bringing it back." The man said.

"No problem." Luke said.

"You know, I really like this driver's license picture too, so you could imagine what a drag it would be to have to replace it." He tried to joke.

"What are you doing here, Jimmy?" Luke asked.

"Just passing through." He said.

"Passing through from where?"

"California." Jimmy said.

"California?"

"Yeah, I've been there for a few years now, seems to be working out." He said.

"Well, glad to hear it."

"Yeah."

"So what are you doing here, Jimmy?" Luke frowned at him.

"Nothing, really, just..." Jimmy tried.

"He hasn't missed you." Luke said.

"I'm sure that he hasn't."

"Never says a word about you."

"I wouldn't expect he would."

"Do you know why he doesn't miss you, Jimmy? Because you're a loser and nobody missed a loser!" Luke exclaimed angrily.

"It's been seventeen years, Luke!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Oh, you remember how long it's been. I am impressed." Luke said.

"Yeah, well, I always could count." Jimmy said sarcastically.

"And your list of attributes ends there."

"Ok, so I guess we're not playing nice anymore." Jimmy said.

"You know, the last time I saw you is right after Liz gave birth. You were going to go out and buy some diapers and meet us back at the apartment. Remember that?" Luke said angrily.

"Yes." Jimmy said.

"You went out, but you never came back." Luke said.

"A lot of time has passed and a lot of things have changed." Jimmy exclaimed.

"Really, like what things? You?" Luke asked.

"Yes, me! Maybe. Why not?"

"Oh, come on, you never called before! What do you need? Money?" Luke asked.

"What?"

"Because he doesn't have any."

"I don't need money." Jimmy said.

"I don't have any either."

"I don't need money." He repeated.

"So the look is a choice?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"No, I just wanted to..." He sighed. "I don't know, see him..."

"Why now?"

"I don't know, I just thought it was time. You don't think it was time?"

"You really want my opinion on this subject?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Luke, give me a break!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Give you a break? I am trying to keep this kid from falling off the face of the earth. I'm trying to get him through school. I'm trying to give him a future. And I've got to be totally honest with you, Jimmy, I am not doing too well!" Luke exclaimed.

"No?"

"No and the last thing he needs is a special appearance by his father who can't be here for any good reason!" Luke said angrily.

"There's no evil plan here. I have a job, a life. I just thought I'd come and..."

"What? Say hello, see if he looks like you? What?" He exclaimed.

"Well..."

"What?!"

"I don't know!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Ok, well, while you're figuring it out, let me plant this little thought in your head. You do or say anything to upset Jess and make it harder for me to keep him on the right path, I'm going to put your head through a wall. Any wall, you can pick the wall, but it's going to be a wall, ok?"

"I just wanted to see him."

"Well, you saw him. Now get out of here!" Luke snapped before storming out.

* * *

A couple of days later, while everyone was at Fran's funeral, Jess was cleaning up in the diner when Jimmy walked in.

"We're closed. Learn to read." Jess said looking up and recognising the guy. "You're the loser coffee guy." He said.

"Well, not as cool as Bono, but I'll take it." Jimmy said.

"We're..." Jess started.

"Closed. Yeah, I heard." Jimmy nodded.

"Ok, so we're still..." Jess said confused.

"I'm your father." Jimmy blurted out.

"...closed. What?" He said shocked.

"I'm your..." Jimmy said again.

"Are you sure?" Jess asked.

"Am I...? Yes, I'm sure. I didn't mean to spring this on you. I thought Luke would've told you that I..." Jimmy said.

"Luke would've told me?" Jess said confused.

"Well, yeah, he came to see me last night. He didn't tell you. That's obvious because you're still doing the staring with the frown and...you look different." Jimmy said.

"You want some coffee?" Jess asked, not really knowing what else to say.

"Sure. Thanks." Jimmy said sitting down.

"It's old."

"Ok."

Jess sat down next to him and they both silently listened to a song on the radio for a minute.

"I've got to go." Jimmy said getting up quickly and making a hasty exit.

* * *

About an hour later, Jess was sat at the table in the apartment when Luke walked in. "Hey. You hungry? I can make us some eggs." He said going to the fridge.

"So I hear you went to see my father last night." Jess said.

Luke stopped and turned to look at Jess. "Yeah, I did." He said.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"He came by?"

"He came by."

"I didn't think he'd have the guts." Luke said.

"So what were you thinking?" Jess said.

"Jess, I don't like your father very much." Luke said.

"So because you don't like him, that means I can't know he's here?" Jess exclaimed annoyed, standing up.

"You know he's here."

"No thanks to you!"

"It shouldn't have come from me in the first place." Luke said.

"So what, you don't think you owed it to me to tell me, prepare me?" Jess exclaimed angrily.

Luke sighed. "No, Jess, I didn't. With everything that's going on here with you, I kind of hoped he'd just walk away, but...once again, Jimmy makes the wrong move. What a shock." He said.

"Who the hell are you to decide what the right move is?!" Jess shouted angrily.

"I'm the one who's saving your ass constantly! I'm the one who just wrote a check to Kyle's father so he wouldn't press charges against you. I'm the one trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours about the future!" Luke exclaimed getting angry himself.

"Oh, here we go..." Jess said.

"You don't take anything seriously. That's why you're doing so crappy in school. You're smart enough, you read more than anyone I've ever seen. There's no reason why you shouldn't be graduating! But I'm supporting you through it and then your father shows up and suddenly I'm the bad guy?" Luke continued.

"I deserved to know!" Jess exclaimed.

"Jess, your father is a deadbeat! He's done nothing for you! I didn't want him making things worse! Making you upset!"

"Well I am upset now! What if I want to get to know him huh?"

"You want to get to know him?"

"Maybe." Jess said.

Luke snorted. "He'll be gone before you know it."

"Well I have summer holidays coming up. Maybe I can go and stay with him!" Jess retorted.

Luke stared at Jess. "Jess...you don't need him." He said quietly. "He left your mother high and dry and he hasn't given a crap about you since!"

"Whatever! You can't tell me what to do! He's my dad. I deserve to know him!"

"You know what? Fine! Go and stay with him for the summer! But don't come crying to me when he proves how much of a loser he actually is! Don't say I didn't warn you!" Luke shouted angrily.

"Go to hell!" Jess shouted before storming out of the apartment.

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai had set up breakfast on the kitchen table as Charlotte and Rory walked out of her room.

"I thought I smelled coffee." Rory said.

"Good morning your highnesses. I trust you slept well." Lorelai smiled.

"And to what do we owe this lovely display of domesticity?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, Luke and Jess are apparently in some sort of fight so I thought the atmosphere would be better here. Plus you know how I am with secrets. I would definitely let slip that we were having a secret party for Luke's birthday here this evening." She said.

"True." Charlotte said. "Jess and Luke are in a fight?" She asked.

"Apparently it was bad but Luke wasn't exactly in an expansive mood." Lorelai said.

"Oh dear." Charlotte sighed.

"Wait a minute, these are from Luke's." Rory said starting to eat the food.

"What?"

"You got up this morning, went to Luke's and brought this back." Rory said.

"Well, I sure as hell am not going to cook." Lorelai grinned.

"They're good, thank you." Rory grinned.

"I put them on a plate just the way you like them." Lorelai said.

"Greatly appreciated." Charlotte said tucking into the food as well. After a while she got up. "I'm going to leave a bit early today. I'll see you later."

"Bye hon." Lorelai smiled.

Charlotte went outside and headed towards the square. She immediately saw Jess sat on the bench in the gazebo. She walked over cautiously. "So I hear you and Luke had a fight?" She said sitting down next to her.

"You could say that." Jess grumbled.

"Why?"

"Because he thought I didn't deserve to know my father was here." Jess snapped.

"Wait what? Your father?" Charlotte said annoyed.

"Yeah. He was in the diner the other day but obviously I didn't know who he was. But Luke did and he went to see him. He didn't see it fit to tell me though. Jimmy had to come and tell me himself."

"Wow..." Charlotte said stunned. "That's...big."

"Yup." Jess grumbled. "I mean who does he think he is?"

"Who, your dad?" Charlotte asked confused.

"No! Luke! Why didn't he tell me? He was being selfish because he never liked my dad and because of that he didn't think I deserved to know! I mean who does that?" Jess exclaimed.

"Well..." Charlotte said.

"What?" Jess exclaimed shocked that she wasn't agreeing to him.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, yes you deserve to know your dad was here but try and see it from Luke's point of view. He probably thought he was protecting you from upset. I mean your dad doesn't exactly have the best track record..." She said.

"Yeah well yours doesn't either but Lorelai never kept him from you!" Jess snapped.

"That's different..."

"How?!"

Charlotte sighed. "Jess, your dad ran out when you were a baby. It makes sense that Luke isn't exactly his biggest fan."

"I can't believe you're taking his side! And I bet you're against me going and spending the summer with him as well huh?" He snapped.

"Wait, what?" Charlotte said surprised. "He invited you to spend the summer with you?"

"Well no...but why else did he come back? He obviously wanted to see me. And Luke can't stop me! I told him that." Jess grumbled.

Charlotte just shook her head. "I can't believe you..."

"What?"

"You're serious, aren't you? You're seriously wanting to go spend the summer with someone who has given the first thought about you for your first 18 years instead of spending it here with people who actually care about you?" She said starting to get annoyed.

"Why are you mad?" Jess asked surprised.

"God Jess, you don't get it, do you? Who's been there for you the past two years? Who's supported you through everything that's happened at school? Your dad necessarily isn't your biological dad! It's the person who's been there for you and who cares about you and wants to look after you!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Stop being so stubborn and admit that that definition fits Luke more than Jimmy! Luke cares about you. He doesn't want you getting hurt!"

"I don't have to hear this. I'm going to go find Jimmy." Jess grumbled getting up.

"Fine, walk away!" Charlotte snapped. "We're having a surprise birthday party for Luke at ours tonight. You should come." She said. Jess just snorted. "If you don't, we'll know who you've chosen. But I'm warning you, Jess. I think you're making a big mistake. Luke is one in a million. Just think who's really been there for you." She said before walking off.

* * *

That evening, Luke's surprise birthday party was under way. Lorelai went and sat next to him on the couch. "I know you don't like a fuss and I know you're probably not in the mood for this because of everything going on with Jess but I wanted to do something. You deserve this and I wanted to show you that." Lorelai said softly.

Luke turned to her and gave her a smile. "It's lovely. Thank you." He said softly giving her a kiss.

"Really?" She asked.

"I needed this." He admitted. "And thank you for inviting Maisy and Buddy. I haven't seen them for a while." He smiled.

"Well I thought it would be nice for them to be here. I know how close you are." Lorelai smiled.

"Thank you." Luke smiled softly.

As the evening went on, there was still no sign of Jess. Charlotte saw Luke go through to the kitchen. She followed him and found him grabbing a beer from the fridge. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"What?" He asked surprised.

"I really thought he'd come." Charlotte said quietly. "I tried..."

Luke sighed. "It's not your fault. It's his choice. I still think it's the wrong one but it's his choice. I can't force him to do anything."

"It's not right." Charlotte said. "You've done everything for him and he repays you by doing this."

"It's ok." Luke said.

"It's not! It's not ok!" Charlotte exclaimed. "He's too selfish and stubborn to see who really cares about him!"

Luke sighed. "Yeah, well...that's Jess." He said. He glanced at her. "You two are going to be ok though, aren't you?"

Charlotte shrugged. She was about to say something when the back door opened and Jess came in. "Jess..." She said surprised.

"Sorry I'm late." He said quietly.

Charlotte glanced at Luke who looked just as surprised but also hopeful. "I'll be in the other room." She said giving them some space.

"So turns out Jimmy doesn't want a screwed up kid messing up his summer plans..." Jess said.

"He said that?" Luke asked.

"No but it was implied. He said he couldn't cope with the responsibility." Jess shrugged.

"Well it's his loss." Luke said.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them until Jess spoke again. "I'm sorry." He said awkwardly.

"No I'm sorry." Luke sighed. "You were right. As much as a loser your father is, you deserved to know he was here and I should have told you."

"You were trying to protect me." Jess shrugged.

"You're not a screw up, Jess. Don't let anyone let you think that. You've had a hard time but you're working hard to make things right." Luke said. "And I'm here to help. Whatever you need." He said. "Well if you want it...?" He added.

"I want it." Jess said quietly.

"Well then you've got it." Luke said.

"There was another reason why I was late." Jess admitted.

"What? You were annoying Taylor, were you?" Luke smirked.

Jess smirked. "No." He said. He went outside and then came back in with a guitar. "I wanted to get your birthday present."

"Jess..." Luke said shocked.

"You said you used to play. Maybe we could jam together sometime?" Jess said.

Luke smiled. "I'd like that." He said softly.

Jess nodded and gave him the guitar. Luke put it down though and looked at Jess. "Come here." He said softly, bringing him into a hug. "Thank you."

"Thanks for caring." Jess said gruffly.

"I'll always care. Always." Luke said. "Come on, I want you to meet some people." He said leading him into the other room and towards Maisy and Buddy.

Charlotte smiled from the couch as she watched Luke proudly introduce Jess to Maisy and Buddy. She caught his eye and smiled at him. He reciprocated the action and then turned back to the people who he knew meant a lot to Luke.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming! I know I keep repeating myself but I really do appreciate all your support so thank you! :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you so much for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 29

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were sitting at a table in Luke's with books spread open in front of them.

"Where's the ladies room? More coffee, please. Does Antonio Banderas live near here?" Lorelai said.

"We do not need to know how to say, 'Does Antonio Banderas live near here?'" Rory rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes we do." Lorelai grinned.

"Mom..." Rory said.

"When we're in Spain, we need to know how to say, 'Does Antonio Banderas live near here?' When in France, Does Johnny Depp live near here?'" Lorelai grinned.

"Good point!" Charlotte grinned.

"When in Rome, 'Does Gore Vidal live near here?'" Rory joked.

Charlotte smirked as Lorelai just looked at her. "You know, you look like me, yet my ways are completely lost on you." She said. "Come on, honey, put that down. You've been studying all day."

"I can't put it down, we've got finals coming up!" Rory said.

"Then how come your sister can spare some time?" Lorelai asked.

"Because I didn't leave the studying until the last minute like some people." Charlotte smirked.

"I just like to know I definitely know everything." Rory rolled her eyes.

"You know everything." Charlotte said.

"Come on, you have a piece of pie sitting there that you've been completely ignoring." Lorelai said.

"Just let me get to the end of this chapter." Rory said.

"Oh, fine. Hey, how important do you think it is to be able to say, 'Help, I'm bleeding from the head?'" Lorelai asked.

"Just bring the phrase books." Rory said.

"No. If we learn all the phrases we need, then the phrase books are one less thing we have to lug around."

"We will never be able to learn all the phrases in every language that we're going to need. Bring the books."

"Coffee?" A familiar voice said next to them.

Charlotte grinned up at Jess. "God yes! I need it being part of this family."

"Hey!" Lorelai said indignantly.

Charlotte grinned at her and started drinking the coffee Jess poured for her.

"So..uh..you free tomorrow night?" Jess asked.

"Should be. Why?" Charlotte asked.

"Meet me at Miss Patty's at 6." He said.

"Miss Patty's? Why?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Just be there. I'll explain everything then." Jess said.

"Ok. I'll see you there then." Charlotte said.

Jess nodded and walked off just as Lane entered the diner. "They're here, I've got them." She said sitting down with them.

"You've got what?" Lorelai asked.

"The brochures for my college." Lane said.

"You seem chipper." Lorelai smiled.

"I am. I have decided to make this whole Seventh Day Adventist College experience a good one. I'm going to look on the bright side, find the silver lining, and make myself some lemonade." Lane smiled.

"Good for you." Charlotte smiled. "And you can always come visit me and Rory at Yale."

"Doubt it. My mom knows they have boys there." Lane sighed.

"Bummer." Charlotte said.

"The campus looks pretty." Rory said.

"Very pretty." Lorelai nodded agreeing.

"It's got two huge parks with gardens and lakes." Lane said.

"Two parks." Lorelai repeated.

"One for boys and one for girls." Lane nodded.

"Huh..." Rory said.

"And you know, I had originally thought that this was going to be a suffocating place with out of date rules and insane restrictions, but boy was I wrong. For example, curfew is up to 9:30. 9:45 if you're going for your Masters. Makeup will be permitted, as long as it identically matches your skin tone. And owning a Rolling Stones CD is no longer grounds for expulsion. You can work the demerits off in the campus clean-up crew." Lane said.

"There's a separate park for boys?" Lorelai asked.

"My life is over." Lane sighed.

"Oh no, no I didn't say that!" Lorelai said.

"You didn't have to." Lane said before getting up and leaving.

"Well done mom!" Charlotte smirked.

"Well, it is over." Lorelai said.

"It's not over." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Every kid in that brochure was awkward and panicked. It looked like the Academy Award audience during Michael Moore's speech." Lorelai exclaimed.

"Hey, why don't you add the phrase, 'Just sit there and look pretty' to that list of yours there, ok? I've got to go back to studying." Rory said.

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai walked down the steps carrying her shoes. She quietly walked to the kitchen and filled up the coffeepot with water, then walked over to the coffee maker just as Charlotte walked out of her bedroom.

"Hey." She said.

"Oh! Oh god, Charlotte, you scared me!" Lorelai exclaimed startled.

"Sorry." Charlotte said.

"I've been sneaking around here like an idiot trying not to wake you up."

"I've been up for hours." She shrugged.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because your other daughter set the alarm for 5 so that she could study." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I realised last night that at this rate, I will never finish all the work I have to do." Rory said appearing from their bedroom.

"What work?"

"What work? What work, she asks!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well, you know me, takes a little while to catch up." Lorelai said.

"Here." Rory said handing her a list.

"Things to do before graduation. A list, of course." Lorelai read. "Study for finals, senior breakfast, senior awards, finish final edition of the Franklin, organise a new student government, convince Paris to give up student gavel..."

"Oh, and I forgot, man the yearbook distribution table this afternoon at the stupid Senior Palooza. Unbelievable!" Rory exclaimed writing that down on the list.

"Well, I'll be manning the Booster Club Grad Night table at the same time so we can feel stupid and abused together." Lorelai joked.

"I can't finish all this and sleep at the same time." Rory said.

"You have to sleep, it's what keeps you pretty." Lorelai joked.

"Who cares if I'm pretty if I fail my finals?" She exclaimed.

"Rory, you're not going to fail. You're like the smartest person at the school." Charlotte tried to reassure her.

"It's alright for you! You read something once and you have this photographic memory of it!" Rory exclaimed.

"Rory..." Charlotte said softly.

"This shifting back and forth seems to produce better results." Rory said.

"I think you're pushing yourself too hard." Lorelai said.

"I have to!" Rory exclaimed.

"Ror..." Charlotte sighed.

"Yeah ok..." Rory sighed.

"Just relax a bit. You'll be fine." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Rory said quietly.

* * *

Charlotte returned home from school that afternoon to find her mom on the phone. She listened quietly until Lorelai hung up the phone. She heard her groan so she walked in. "So no financial aid?" She asked.

"Geez, Charlotte! Make a noise!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Sorry." Charlotte said. "Yale's not giving us financial aid?"

"No.." Lorelai admitted.

"I don't understand, what happened?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, irony of ironies, the money I got from your grandpa took us out of the running for financial aid because it made it look like we have money." Lorelai said.

"Well, send them proof, a bank statement, a letter from Grandpa! Here, take a picture of this couch, no one will think we have money after looking at this couch!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I tried everything, I swear." Lorelai sighed.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well we'll just have to use your Grandpa's money." Lorelai said.

"No way! That's for your inn! You were going to open your own inn with Sookie!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"You two are my priorities." Lorelai said softly. "Sookie and I can wait."

"This sucks! This totally sucks!" Charlotte sighed.

"I know..." Lorelai said.

Charlotte sighed. "Anyway, I better get changed. I'm meeting Rory to go and help Grandma choose her graduation outfit. And then I've got this thing with Jess this evening."

"Ok hon." Lorelai said.

"You're still collecting us from Grandma's right?"

"Sure." She nodded.

"Good. See you then." Charlotte said giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't use Grandpa's money yet. Let's think about it for a bit. There must be another option."

"Charlie, I've thought..." Lorelai said softly.

"Well then give me a day. Please?"

"Ok." She sighed. "Hey Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you not tell Rory just yet? I just...she's freaking out as it is about her finals. I don't want her stressing about this either." She said.

"Yeah you're probably right." Charlotte sighed.

"Thanks hon."

"See you later!"

"Bye sweets."

* * *

At the Gilmore Mansion, Charlotte and Rory were sat on the couch as Emily walked down the steps into the living room.

"Well, I'm exhausted. I feel as if I've tried on every dress in town." She exclaimed dramatically.

"So is it the blue?" Rory asked.

"Yes, I think it's the blue. I think it's quite suitable for my granddaughters' graduation." Emily smiled.

Just then Lorelai walked in. "Hey guys! Hi mom." Lorelai smiled.

"Hey." Rory smiled.

"Hi mom!" Charlotte smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Emily accused, causing Charlotte and Rory to exchange a glance. They knew things had been tense ever since their mom had paid back the money for Chilton.

"I just came to pick Rory and Charlotte up." Lorelai said calmly.

"You should've seen all the clothes that Grandma tried on today." Charlotte smiled trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah?" Lorelai said.

"She picked out a beautiful blue dress for the graduation." Rory smiled.

"Aw, I'd like to see that, Mom." Lorelai said.

"It needs to be altered." Emily said stiffly.

"Oh, sure. I'll see it at graduation, I guess." Lorelai said. She stood awkwardly for a moment. "So I'm sorry I didn't give you advanced notice that I was coming over."

"I don't need advanced notice, Lorelai." Emily said.

"Ok, you just seem tense." She said.

"No, I'm just tired. And busy. I have a very busy evening ahead of me."

"Oh, I'm sure you do."

The maid suddenly appeared at the doorway. "Dinner's ready, Mrs. Gilmore." She said.

"No, it's not." Emily said.

"I just checked it and it's..." The maid said confused.

"I was in there ten minutes ago and it still had another forty minutes to go." Emily said.

"But it's really brown and..."

"Lupe, please do not argue with me. It's not ready. Now go in there and make the salad." She said. She realised the maid was still stood there. "What?"

"The salad's ready."

"Lupe!" Emily exclaimed causing the maid to go back to the kitchen.

"Mom, it's seven o'clock." Lorelai said confused.

"So?"

"That's your dinnertime." She pointed out.

"I don't have a dinnertime, Lorelai."

"You don't have a dinnertime?"

"No, I don't." Emily said stiffly.

"So all the years I grew up in this house, we did not sit down to dinner at exactly seven o'clock every single night?" Lorelai asked.

"No."

"I just imagined that?"

"Lorelai, I don't know what your obsession with dinnertime is!" Emily exclaimed exasperated.

"My obsession with dinnertime is that it was always at seven o'clock. Now all of a sudden, it's not. Is it because I'm here?" Lorelai asked defensively.

"That's ridiculous!"

"It is. I'm here, and if you served dinner, Miss Manners would insist that you invite me to stay and you don't want to, so you're going to pretend that dinner is suddenly whenever you feel like it." Lorelai said slightly hurt.

"Lorelai, do not get dramatic. Dinner is not ready, and even if it was, I would still not be able to invite you to stay because your father and I have plans tonight. We are eating quickly and then leaving." She said.

"To go where?"

"The Thompsons."

"For what?"

"Book club."

"What book?"

"Lovely Bones."

"This is crazy." Charlotte whispered to Rory who just nodded in agreement.

"Did you like it?" Lorelai continued.

"It's not my taste but I respect the attempt."

"Now I know where I get it from." Lorelai commented.

"We'll have dinner another time, alright?"

"Uh...so, are you kicking us out?" Lorelai asked.

"I told you we have plans."

"Or do you just want to get that dinner of yours that's been ready for ten minutes now on the table?" She asked.

"Lorelai, please!" Emily said.

"Tell me this, if I couldn't stay but Rory and Charlotte could, would you want them to?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course I would, but as I told you, your father and I have plans." Emily said.

"So they can't stay even if I'm gone?"

"No, they can't."

Just then Richard came to the doorway. "Emily, for heaven's sake, it's 7:10! Why aren't we eating?" He asked.

"Oh, hi Dad! Listen...uh... Charlotte and Rory were going to stay for dinner if you guys don't have plans." Lorelai said.

"Of course we don't have any plans. Oh, I'm thrilled, they're staying! You just livened up a very boring night in the Gilmore house." Richard smiled happily.

Lorelai looked at her mother and just shook her head. "Enjoy your dinner. And Mom, get yourself an agent because you're wasting that talent of yours in dinner theatre." She said before leaving.

"Mom, wait!" Charlotte exclaimed and her and Rory rushed after her. "Mom, wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to drive in a circle backwards really fast to reverse the Earth's orbit to go back in time to before I made the insane decision to come here in the first place." Lorelai said dryly.

"You came here to pick us up." Rory pointed out.

"What was I thinking doing that?" Lorelai shook her head.

"You were thinking, 'Hey, wouldn't it be great for my daughters not to have to walk all the way back to Stars Hollow!'" Charlotte said.

"Well, a thirty-mile hike never hurt anyone. God, I can't believe her!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"And I can't believe you!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"You were going to leave us here!"

"So you could have dinner with them."

"We never said we wanted to have dinner with them! You said we wanted to have dinner with them and then you stormed out. You forget that I have that thing with Jess tonight so I can't stay even if I wanted to." Charlotte said.

"Ok, I'm sorry." Lorelai sighed. "I just...I finally realised that I can't do this anymore. I can't come back here anymore, I'm done." She said.

"Well, we're sorry. We never should've asked you to pick us up." Rory said.

"It's ok. It's good, actually. Now I can stop feeling guilty for not talking to them. I can go back to the way things were before. We share a nose and that's it." Lorelai sighed.

"So we're going?" Charlotte checked.

"Yes, we're going." Lorelai said.

"Ok, we have to go get my books. Please be here when we come back." Charlotte said and her and Rory walked back inside.

"Are you staying?" Emily asked when she saw them come back in.

"No, we have to go, Grandma." Rory said.

"Alright, I guess we'll just see you at graduation then." Emily said.

"I guess you will." Charlotte said.

"I swear, I don't know what to do with that mother of yours, I really don't. Everything has to be such a scene!" She exclaimed.

They picked up their bags and turned to their grandmother. "I think you're being really stupid." Rory said.

"Really stupid!" Charlotte added before following Rory out of the house, leaving Emily stood there stunned.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte walked up the steps to Miss Patty's. She opened the door and frowned when it was dark inside. "What the...Jess?" She said confused. Suddenly the lights were turned on and Charlotte stood, stunned, as she looked round the room. There were music speakers and snacks on a table at the side and balloons everywhere. She was also surprised to see along with Jess, Lane and Dave and the band were there and also Rory and Tristan. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I thought we could have our own prom." Jess said. "I felt bad that we couldn't go to the real thing and I wanted to make it up to you."

"But I thought we were just going to do something on the night." Charlotte said.

"Yeah but then I thought you'd want Lane and Rory here as well so I arranged this so they could come." Jess said.

"You did all this? For me?" Charlotte asked touched.

"Yeah." Jess said putting his hands in his pockets self consciously. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? I love it!" Charlotte smiled. "And I love you." She said softly, going over and kissing him. "I can't believe you did all this for me."

"Yeah, well...you deserve it." He shrugged. On cue, the band started playing and Jess held his hand out. "May I have this dance?" He asked.

Charlotte grinned. "I don't know. Do you have a trust fund?"

"Sorry." He smirked, thinking back to the first time they'd danced together.

"Ah well, I'll take the chance anyway!" She grinned taking his hand and let Jess lead her round the floor.

A while later, Charlotte was stood at the side when Rory and Tristan came over to her.

"So do you like it?" Rory asked.

"Did you know about this?" Charlotte asked.

"Guilty." Rory smiled sheepishly. "You don't know how hard it was to hide it from you. But Jess wanted it to be special so needed it to be a surprise."

Charlotte smiled as she glanced over at Jess who was talking to the band . "I can't believe he did all this for me." She said softly.

"He loves you." Rory smiled.

"Yeah. I know." Charlotte smiled self consciously. She then turned to them. "So you two are ok now then?" She asked.

Rory smiled and took hold of Tristan's hand, smiling at him. "Yeah, we're good." She said.

"Good. Because I didn't want to have to kick your ass." Charlotte smirked at Tristan.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have liked that either." He chuckled.

"But just as a warning, if you mess her around again, I won't hesitate in doing so." Charlotte joked.

"Duly noted." He smirked.

"Uh...hi..." Jess' voice came through the microphone stopping their conversation. "Hi." He repeated seeing he had their attention. "I've been working on this for a while so I..uh..want to thank Lane and the band for practising it with me. So..uh..here goes!" He said nervously, before putting his guitar around him and starting to strum along to Don't You (Forget About Me). When he reached the chorus, he looked over at Charlotte.

 _Don't you forget about me_

 _Don't don't don't don't_

 _Don't you forget about me_

Charlotte watched and could feel her eyes getting moist as she watched Jess grow in confidence and sing with such passion and emotion. After he finished, Charlotte went over to him and hugged him tightly. "I will never forget about you." She said emotionally. "This, you and me, this will never end. No matter what." She said.

Jess held tightly. "I love you." He said quietly.

"Right back at ya." Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile and kissed him.

"Right, let's jolly this up a bit!" Lane said through the mic and then the band started to play a more upbeat song.

Charlotte laughed and held out her hand. "May I have this dance?"

"I don't know. Do you have a trust fund?" Jess smirked.

Charlotte grinned and started dancing with him. Rory watched from the side and smiled as she saw Charlotte laugh as she danced around with Jess and had fun.

"Hey, wanna dance?" A familiar voice said next to her.

Rory turned and smiled as she saw Tristan there. "I'd love to." She said softly and let Tristan lead her onto the dance floor.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory walked through the front door of the Crap Shack later that night.

"Oh my god, I'm so tired!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well that's what dancing all night does to you." Rory joked.

"Best fake prom ever!" Charlotte grinned.

"Agreed." Rory laughed. "Hey mom!" She smiled as they found their mom sat on the couch reading their yearbook. "Hey! Had a good time?" She asked.

"The best!" Charlotte smiled.

"Good." Lorelai smiled. "So look who became a soche." She said.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"You have a lot of signatures in here, little girl." Lorelai said holding up Charlotte's yearbook that she was reading.

"Oh everybody signs everybody's yearbook. It's polite." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte, have a great summer. BFF. Amber." She read. "Hey, Amber BFF'ed you." She grinned.

"Yeah, I feel truly blessed." Charlotte laughed following Rory into the kitchen to get a drink.

"You have been my inspiration, my rock, my light. I loved you in South Pacific." Lorelai continued reading. "When did you do South Pacific?" She called.

"What?" Charlotte said.

"Some dipstick named Shauna thinks you were in South Pacific." Lorelai said.

"Oh, Shauna tends to get people mixed up." Charlotte said.

"Oh, ok." Lorelai said looking at some more of the signatures. She smiled to herself before walking into the kitchen. "Hey, you know what's weird?" She said. A lot of the kids in here are calling you a valedictorian. Is that anything like a dirty skank because if it is I'll kick their plaid butts up and down the sidewalk." She joked. She saw Charlotte glance at the floor guiltily. "Were you named valedictorian?" She asked softly.

"Yes but it's no big deal." She said self consciously.

"What do you mean? This is a huge deal!" Lorelai said.

Charlotte glanced at Rory. "It shouldn't have gone to me." She said quietly.

"Hey, we've been through this. You deserve it." Rory said.

"But you study every minute of the day! You deserve it way more than me!" Charlotte said.

"Charlie..." Rory said softly. "You deserve it. Really. I'm so proud of you."

"Really?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"You deserve it. You've worked just as hard as me." Rory smiled softly. "Besides if I was named valedictorian, I would just be freaking about the speech seeing as it would be yet another thing to put on my list." She joked.

Charlotte smirked. "Thanks." She said softly.

"Ok once your finals are over, we are going to celebrate big time because this is amazing." Lorelai smiled at Charlotte. "I am so proud of both of you. We are going to celebrate after ok?"

"Ok." Charlotte smiled.

"Good plan." Rory smiled.

"Ok, now go make mommy nervous." She smirked seeing that Rory was keen to go and study.

"Bless you!" Rory said disappearing into their bedroom.

"And as for you, missy." Lorelai smiled softly at Charlotte. "Come here." She said bringing her into a hug. "I am so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." Charlotte said softly.

"Now go call Jess." Lorelai smirked.

"Thanks!" She grinned and disappeared into their bedroom as well, leaving Lorelai in the kitchen smiling at the closed bedroom door of her daughters.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep letting me know what you think! I really appreciate all your reviews so thank you! :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you so much for all your support! It really does motivate me so thank you! :)**

Chapter 30

The troubadour was playing a song in the street outside the diner when Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory suddenly pushed past him with large backpacks on their backs.

"Coming through! Heavy packs!" Rory exclaimed.

"Out of our way, peace boy!" Lorelai said.

"No offense, we love the song. Carry on!" Charlotte said as they entered the diner and dumped the bags on the floor and sat down at a table.

"Urgh!" Lorelai groaned.

"I've never known such pain!" Rory exclaimed.

"We are so not walking around Europe with those annoying things on our backs. We will never cope!" Charlotte said.

"But we're backpacking through Europe. How are we going to do this without backpacks?" Rory pointed out.

"But all the time we've talked about backpacking, I never actually pictured us with backpacks." Lorelai sighed.

"Well, what were you picturing?" Rory asked.

"Spry, accommodating European men with neat moustaches trailing after us, carrying our luggage, hailing taxi cabs, constantly reminding us how beautiful we are." Lorelai grinned.

"No, it's just the three of us humping our backpacks around." Rory smirked.

"Well, at least my new walking shoes are all broken in. If you count broken skin, broken toes." Lorelai said going to take off her shoes as Luke walked over.

"Don't do that." He said.

"Don't do what?" Lorelai asked.

"Don't take your shoes off. This is a restaurant." Luke said.

"I don't see a 'No shirt, no shoes, no service' sign." Lorelai said.

"It's right here, don't do that." He said.

"We're in pain, Luke!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well itt's great that you guys are bearing it so nobly. And can you move these?" He asked gesturing to the backpacks.

"Why are you being so mean? We're in a relationship. You're meant to care!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"Can you move these?" Luke repeated smirking slightly.

"Can? No." Rory quipped.

"Would if we could? Debatable." Charlotte grinned.

Luke rolled his eyes and moved the backpacks out of the way.

"Wow look at that!" Lorelai said.

"Spry and accommodating." Rory nodded.

"Hey, would you grow a moustache and follow us around Europe?" Lorelai grinned.

"And leave Jess in charge of the diner. No chance." He smirked.

"You think he'd burn the place down?" Lorelai smirked.

"Oh yeah." Luke nodded.

"Hey! That's my boyfriend you're talking about!" Charlotte said indignantly.

"Oh we're just joking, hon." Lorelai said.

"He would totally burn it down though." Charlotte joked.

"Ok, so your graduation is Wednesday at four, correct?" Luke asked Rory and Charlotte.

"You're coming?" Charlotte asked her face lighting up.

"You know you really don't have to." Rory said.

"I want to. I feel like I've been through this whole Chilton thing with you both." Luke smiled.

"Cool!" Charlotte grinned.

"Good, we want you there." Rory smiled.

"Good. So what do you want?" He asked getting his order pad out.

"Are you hungry?" Lorelai asked her daughters.

"I'm just sore." Rory said.

"Me too." Charlotte nodded.

"Let's just go home and rest." Lorelai said getting up with them

"Hey, wait, don't leave these!" Luke said.

"Store them for us!" Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah, until we hire a flatbed truck to carry them home for us." Lorelai said giving him a quick kiss. "Please?"

"No." He said.

"Huh, sleeping with you is getting me nothing." Lorelai said.

"Eww!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oh come on, my feet hurt." Lorelai said leaving the diner. "Carry me?"

"No you carry us!" Charlotte said as her and Rory follow their mom out.

Luke just watched them leave, shaking his head.

"What was that about?" Jess asked appearing next to them.

"We just got had." Luke sighed. "Here, take these upstairs for me." He said handing Jess the backpacks.

* * *

At Chilton, students were standing in line to record messages for the video yearbook. One student was going on quite a bit.

"Does she need medical attention?" Charlotte smirked.

"Charlotte!" Rory shook her head.

"She's right though." Paris said standing next to them.

"It's the end of the year, people get nostalgic." Rory said.

"So, how's your valedictorian speech coming along?" Paris asked Charlotte.

"Oh...uh...it's ok. Pretty standard. Boring. No one listens to those things anyhow." Charlotte shrugged.

"Relax, I'm ok with you making valedictorian." Paris said.

"Oh...good, thanks." Charlotte said.

"You work hard. You deserve it." She shrugged.

Charlotte smiled softly. "Thanks Paris."

"Sure. I actually googled the personal histories of Ivy League valedictorians going back twenty-five years and found some enlightening statistics. They don't necessarily do too well in later life, did you know that?" Paris continued.

"No." Charlotte smirked.

"Oh, yeah. A lot of business failures, crumbled marriages, suicides, obesity." Paris said.

"And there's the Paris I know." Charlotte smirked.

"A bunch died in car crashes, several did time, one suffocated when his cat fell asleep on his face." She continued.

"Ok, well, thanks again." Charlotte said.

It was soon Paris' turn to record for the yearbook so she stepped forward. Charlotte and Rory watched as she insisted she needed six minutes.

"I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually going to miss Paris." Charlotte said.

Rory laughed. "Yeah, she's definitely someone who is going to be hard to forget."

"Yeah..." Charlotte said, suddenly turning quiet.

"Are you ok?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, just thinking..."

"About?"

"We're actually going to be moving away from home, away from Stars Hollow, away from..." Charlotte said, stopping. "Well, you know, it's just going to be different."

Rory understood what she was saying. "You and Jess are going to be fine." She said softly.

"It's alright for you. Your boyfriend's following you to Yale!" She retorted.

"Charlie..." She said softly.

"Sorry." Charlotte sighed. "I just...it actually feels real now..."

"You and Jess are strong. You're going to be fine." Rory reassured her. "And we'll visit Stars Hollow and he can always visit you at Yale. You'll still see each other."

"I know...but still..." She shrugged.

Rory put her arm round her. "Hey, you'll still have me!" She said.

Charlotte smiled at her sister. "Yeah." She said softly. "Thanks Ror."

"What are sisters for eh?" Rory smiled.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte and Rory were trying on their graduation dresses for Sookie and their mom.

"Maybe we should bring them in a bit more." Sookie suggested.

"Oh sure, but first we'll have to use a medieval torture instrument to crush our ribs and flatten our spinal cord in order to accommodate your sadistic wish there." Charlotte joked.

"Don't use subtlety on us. We're slow." Lorelai said.

"I think she's saying that we don't need to bring them in anymore." Sookie laughed.

"Take them off, you're done." Lorelai said.

"Urgh I should go. I've got that stupid job interview and, well you know, I'm nervous." She said.

"Which place?" Lorelai asked.

"Harrington's in Woodbridge."

"Nice."

"They want me to be their executive chef four nights a week. God, I can't imagine working someplace else. And without my Lorelai!" Sookie sighed.

"But it's only a few months until the Dragonfly opens, right?" Rory said.

"Uh...you haven't told them yet." Sookie said feeling bad.

"Told us what?" Rory asked confused.

"Charlotte knows. Rory doesn't."

"Know what?" Rory exclaimed.

"I was waiting for the right opportunity." Lorelai sighed.

"To tell me what?" Rory repeated. "What's going on?" She turned on Charlotte.

"Oh..uh..." Charlotte said.

"Ok hon, listen. We're not buying the Dragonfly." Lorelai admitted.

"What?" Rory asked.

"It's just not the right time."

"You're crazy. It's the perfect time!"

"Not really."

"But if you wait, someone else is gonna buy it. You said so yourself." Rory said.

"I'm going to go, guys. Sorry to spill the beans." Sookie said.

"That's ok. I'll see you later." Lorelai smiled at her friend.

"Mom, why put it off? I mean, I know the Independence Inn closing is a setback." Rory said.

"Big one." Lorelai nodded.

"But we've got the rest of Grandpa's money, that's plenty to buy the Dragonfly Inn, and we'll just scrimp on everything until it's all up and running and successful." Rory said.

"It would take a lot of scrimping." She sighed.

"Well, I'm a master scrimper. I would make the Olympic scrimping team. I'm that good, boy!"

"Mom didn't get financial aid for Yale." Charlotte said.

"What?" She said surprised.

"Yeah. No scholarships, no hardship money, no money-off coupons, no gift certificates, nothing." Lorelai sighed.

"I don't understand, what happened?"

"Well with your Grandpa's money, it looks like we have money."

"Can't you explain?"

"I tried everything, I promise."

"Why didn't you tell me this? And how come Charlotte knows?" Rory exclaimed.

"I didn't want to put anymore stress on you. You were freaking about your finals." Lorelai explained.

"And I caught mom on the phone to Yale. That's how I found out." Charlotte said.

"But Grandpa's money..." Rory said.

"Is paying for Yale." Lorelai said.

"No! No way!" Rory said.

"Rory..."

"We'll take a student loan out from the bank. That's what banks are for!"

"Honey, I don't want you to be buried by loans the day you graduate from college."

"There has to be another way!"

"I've looked. There's nothing."

"This is so not fair to you!" Rory exclaimed.

"I agree." Charlotte said.

"I'll have my own inn one day, I promise. But Yale comes first." Lorelai said.

"This sucks!" Rory exclaimed getting up and going to her room.

"What are you going to do now?" Lorelai asked.

"Rail at god for a while!"

"Tell her I said hi." Lorelai sighed.

"I'll go." Charlotte said, getting up and following Rory. She went into their room. "Hey.." She said softly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rory asked.

"I promised mom I wouldn't." She sighed.

"This isn't fair on her!"

"I know."

"Could have fooled me! You didn't seem that bothered in there." Rory muttered.

"Because I have an idea but I would prefer mom not hear about it until we try it." Charlotte said.

Rory looked up at her sister. "What plan?" She asked.

* * *

The following morning, the day of the graduation, the doorbell at the Gilmore Mansion rang. Emily and Richard walked towards the door.

"Who is it, Emily?" Richard asked.

"I don't know, Richard. My x-ray vision isn't working at the moment." She said dryly.

"I was just wondering if you were expecting somebody."

"I wasn't expecting anybody." Emily said opening the door. They were surprised to see Rory and Charlotte on the porch. "Rory, Charlotte!" She said surprised.

"Hey Grandma, hey Grandpa." Charlotte smiled.

"What brings you here on this busy day?" Emily asked.

"We have sort of a time-sensitive issue we need to talk to you about." Rory said.

"Time sensitive? Well, come in, come in." Richard said, letting them in and leading them into the living room.

"We were just getting ready for your ceremony." Emily said.

"And I was just retying my tie for the third time. No matter how many times I tie a tie, there's always room for error." Richard said.

"It's not an exact science, is it?" Charlotte smirked.

"Nor an art form. It's pretty much nothing." Richard nodded.

Charlotte grinned. "Anyway...uh...do you want to sit?" She said.

"Ok." Richard said sitting down on the couch.

"Alright. Should we be nervous?" Emily asked joining Richard.

"No, you shouldn't be. We are a little." Rory said sitting down on the opposite couch with Charlotte.

"Well, what is it?" Emily asked.

"We need money." Rory admitted.

"You need money..." Richard repeated.

"For Yale." Charlotte explained.

"You need money for Yale." Richard repeated.

"Stop repeating everything they say!" Emily said.

"I'm sorry, I'm processing." Richard said.

"Look, it's a long story." Charlotte said. "But no other financing came through and all of the other options that Mom and we have are just...well, not good enough. So here's the offer, we would like for you to loan us the money for four years at Yale and in return we will get a part time job and pay you in installments." She said.

"Yeah and we will continue this payment schedule after graduation increasing the payment amounts in proportion to our income. Plus, we will reinstate Friday night dinners with us. Every Friday night, we will be here, seven o'clock on the dot." Rory said.

"Well, how wonderful." Emily smiled.

"We've missed you both." Richard admitted.

"We've missed you, too. So this should work out for everyone, right?" Charlotte asked.

"Absolutely. We're happy to do it." Emily nodded.

"Not so fast." Richard said.

"Richard!" Emily exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm happy to pay for Yale but I don't want it to be a loan." Richard said.

"No, we don't want that. We want it to be a loan because otherwise it's too easy." Charlotte said.

"Well, then here's my counteroffer. Let's make it a loan but I insist that you not start paying it back until at least five years after you graduate. Seven years if you go for your Master's." He said.

"That sounds fair but we should pay interest." Rory said.

"No."

"Grandpa..."

"You are not going to pay me interest on this money, no way. That's a deal breaker." He said firmly.

Rory exchanged a glance with Charlotte and then turned back to their grandfather. "Ok."

"Good." Richard smiled.

"Wonderful!" Emily exclaimed.

"We have a deal. Listen, if journalism doesn't work out, you might consider working for me after you graduate. You've got good deal-making skills. Eye of the tiger." Richard joked.

"We'll keep that in mind. Well, we should go." Charlotte said getting up with Rory.

"Does your mother know you're here?" Emily asked.

"No. This is our thing. We'll see you at the ceremony." Charlotte smiled before leaving with Rory.

* * *

At Chilton, Lorelai, Luke, Sookie and Jackson had found some seats for the ceremony just as Lorelai's pager went off.

"Who's paging you?" Sookie asked.

"Uh...maybe there's a special surprise party for the valedictorian's mom backstage before the ceremony." Lorelai grinned.

"I bet there is." Sookie laughed.

"I'll be right back." She said getting up and heading towards the building. She went inside and Charlotte and Rory immediately walked up to her.

"Mom!" Charlotte smiled. "We've got good news we want to tell you real quick. Come here." She said leading her into the hallway. "Ok, you ready?"

"I hope so, ready for what?" Lorelai asked.

"You're getting your inn." Charlotte grinned.

"What?" Lorelai asked confused.

"Go put in the bid on the Dragonfly. You've got the money now, Grandpa's money." Charlotte said.

"What are you talking about? How do I have money?"

"Grandma and Grandpa are paying for Yale." Rory explained.

"Now wait a minute..."

"We explained the situation, they totally understand, and they're loaning us the money for Yale." Charlotte said.

"When did they approach you about this?" Lorelai asked.

"They didn't. We approached them." Charlotte said.

"No." Lorelai said.

"We just left them now. It's a done deal, so go make the call, put in the bid, before someone else does." Charlotte smiled.

"Girls, do you understand the Gilmores do nothing altruistically? Strings are attached to everything." Lorelai said.

"There are no strings." Rory said.

"No strings?"

"No. We just have to pay them back starting five years after we graduate and we have to start going back for Friday night dinners." Rory said.

"Uh...hello, Pinocchio, those are strings!"

"But it was our idea to resume the dinners and we obligated just us. You are in no way apart of it." Charlotte said. "Mom you've worked so hard your whole life. You deserve to open this inn with Sookie. Please! We want you to. Please, just put in a bid. For us?"

Lorelai sighed. "I can't believe you did this..."

"Go buy your inn." Charlotte smiled.

"Please?" Rory said.

"Fine." Lorelai sighed. She looked at her daughters and had to smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go!" Charlotte grinned.

"See you out there." Lorelai smiled and left.

"We did it." Charlotte grinned at Rory.

"Yep!" She grinned back.

"Hey there Valedictorian." A familiar voice said.

Charlotte turned round and smiled when she saw Jess stood there.

"I'll see you out there." Rory smiled leaving them to it.

"Hey! How did you get in here?" Charlotte smiled at Jess.

"Pretended I go here." Jess shrugged.

"And they believed you?" She laughed.

"Are you saying I wouldn't fit in here?" He smirked.

"Well..." Charlotte shrugged but grinned and gave him a kiss. "I'm glad you came." She said softly.

"Wouldn't have missed it." He smiled.

"You should get out there. The ceremony is going to start soon." Charlotte said.

"See you after?" He said.

"Definitely." She smiled giving him another kiss and then watching him leave.

* * *

Outside, after managing to assure her parents that she had saved seats for them, Lorelai lead them over to the others. "Mom, Dad, you've met everyone here. Sookie, Jackson, Luke and Jess." She smiled seeing that Jess had joined them.

"Hello." Richard smiled at them. "No...uh...no Christopher?" He asked cautiously.

"Uh...no, he's out of town but he's having us tons of pictures and order him the official video and we may even come back and reenact the whole thing when he gets home. Now sit, relax." Lorelai said wanting to get the subject off Christopher. "Sookie, long story short, and a partially painful story at that and hang onto your hat, but we can now put a bid in on the Dragonfly." She whispered to Sookie.

"What? Are you kidding?" Sookie asked excitedly.

"No."

"How? What happened?"

"I can't go into it now." Lorelai said.

"Ok, I've got to tell you, even with the champagne and the Herb Albert, I've been depressed for days." Sookie admitted.

"Well, that's all changed now." Lorelai said.

"I'll go call the attorney. You sit back and relax and enjoy the graduation." Sookie smiled getting up.

Just then the students started to file out of the school and take their seats. Lorelai spotted Charlotte and Rory sitting down next to Tristan and Paris and smiled at how grown up her daughters look.

"Invited guests, fellow faculty, honored attendees and students, welcome to the Chilton Academy graduating class ceremony of 2003." Headmaster Charleston said standing up on stage. "This year's class is a distinguished assemblage, equal to or surpassing what has proceeded it. In its 200-year history, Chilton has not failed to produce a class that brings only honour to these grounds and to the academy's fine traditions. To begin, I would like to invite the student body president Paris Gellar to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Paris?" He said.

After Paris had spoken, Headmaster Charleston went back up to the podium. "It's a distinct pleasure for me to introduce to you our valedictorian. This young lady was a second-year transfer from a modest school where she distinguished herself immeasurably. She is humble, hard working, competitive when need be, and unparalleled in her academic achievements. Ladies and Gentlemen, Charlotte Gilmore!" He introduced.

Everyone applauded as Charlotte nervously walked up onto the stage.

"Not crying, right?" Sookie said to Lorelai.

"Not crying. Keeping our cool so we don't miss anything." Lorelai said.

"Tears get in your eyes." Sookie nodded.

"Then you miss things." Lorelai said.

"So we're not crying."

"Not crying."

"Not crying." Sookie said to Jackson.

"Not crying." He said. "Not crying." He told Luke.

"What?" Luke said confused.

"No crying." Lorelai told him.

"I'm not crying." Luke said gruffly.

"Oh you're so going to cry." Jess smirked.

"Yeah and you're not?" Luke retorted.

"Headmaster Charleston, faculty members, fellow students, family and friends, welcome. We never thought this day would come." Charlotte started. "We prayed for its quick delivery, crossed days off our calendars, counted hours, minutes, and seconds, and now that it's here. I'm sorry it is because it means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who have been my mentors, so many people who have shaped my life and my fellow students' lives impermeably and forever. I live in two worlds. One is a world of art. Several artists have inspired me throughout my life. It's a rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior. My second one is populated with characters slightly less eccentric but supremely real, made of flesh and bone, full of love, who are my ultimate inspiration for everything." She said glancing up to where her family was sat. "Richard and Emily are kind, decent, unfailingly generous people. They are the twin pillars without whom I could not stand. I am honoured to be their granddaughter." She said glancing up to catch their eye and smiled at them. She then glanced across to where Luke and Jess were sat. "Luke, thank you for giving me somewhere to study when I needed it and for just being there when I needed to talk." She smiled. She took a deep breath before catching Jess' eye. "Jess, I'm not going to say much because you know all this already but thank you. You've made my life a whole lot happier. You know how much you mean to me and how much you're still going to mean to me whatever happens." She said meaningfully.

"Not so cocky now huh?" Luke smirked as he saw Jess' eyes glisten.

"Shut up." He muttered.

"Mom..." Charlotte started, stopping for a moment to collect herself.

"Uh oh." Sookie said holding back tears.

"Hang in there." Lorelai said holding back tears himself.

"One of my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend, the dazzling woman from whom I received my name and my life's blood, Lorelai Gilmore." Charlotte continued. "My mother never gave me any idea that I couldn't do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be. She filled our house with love and fun and art and music, unflagging in her efforts to give me role model. But as she guided me through these incredible eighteen years, I don't know if she ever realised that the person I most wanted to be was her." She said her breath hitching a bit. "Thank you mom. You are my guide post for everything."

Charlotte took a deep breath before moving onto her last paragraph. "There is one other person I want to thank." She said. "This person is my ultimate inspiration. I look up to her daily and inspire to be like her. She will always be there for me like I will always be there for her." She said glancing out at the crowd and smiling down at Rory. "Rory, you're everything to me and I wouldn't be up here without you. So thank you.."

* * *

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore and Charlotte Victoria Gilmore." The announcer said.

"This is it." Lorelai said.

"They look so solemn." Emily smiled.

"Like Gilmores." Richard smiled.

Lorelai watched as her daughters walked on stage and received their diplomas.

"Congratulations, Rory and Charlotte." Headmaster Charleston smiled.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Rory smiled.

"Yeah thank you." Charlotte smiled.

As they walked across the stage, they grinned at each other and then stuck their tongues out at their mom who reciprocated the action.

"Lorelai, really!" Emily said.

"I taught them everything I know." She shrugged just as Sookie returned to her seat after getting photographs. She whispered something to Lorelai. "Oh my god. Uh...I need a pen. I don't have a pen. Luke, give me your pen!" She said.

"I don't have a pen." Luke said.

"Where's the pen you take orders with?" Lorelai asked.

"You have got to stop assuming that I take pens with me everywhere I go." Luke said.

"Never be without a pen." Richard said handing her a pen.

"Thank you, Dad." Lorelai smiled grabbing her programmes and writing down "We got the inn!" on it and the held it up to show Charlotte and Rory who grinned at her.

* * *

After the ceremony, Rory and Charlotte walked over to Lorelai, Luke and Jess.

"Hey! How was my speech?" Charlotte smiled.

"It made everyone cry, including stone cold Luke and Jess." Lorelai joked.

"Luke, you old softy." Charlotte grinned.

"I will never live this down." Luke sighed.

"Not with me in your life." Lorelai grinned.

"I gotta go, I gotta get back to the diner." Luke said.

"Thanks for coming, Luke." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah thanks." Rory smiled.

"Oh, sure. The building's amazing." Luke said. He smiled at them. "So are you."

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled giving him a hug.

"Yeah thanks Luke!" Rory smiled giving him a hug as well.

"See you later." He smiled before leaving.

"Do you need to go too?" Charlotte asked Jess.

"Nope." He said. "Figured I'd ride back with you if that's ok."

"Cool!" Charlotte smiled.

Just then Paris walked up to them. "Hey. I guess we should say our goodbyes. Nanny made me a special dinner." She said.

"Well, good, I'm glad you found us. We wanted to say goodbye, too." Rory smiled

"Good." Paris said. She smiled. "Well, good luck."

"You know, it's weird, most of the time I really hated you." Rory joked.

"Yeah, I really hated you too." Paris said.

"Ok hug already, won't you?" Charlotte laughed.

Rory and Paris smiled at each other and hugged.

"Hallelujah!" Charlotte laughed. "Good luck Paris." She smiled giving her a hug too.

"You too." Paris smiled before walking off.

Emily and Richard then walked over.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled at them.

"Well, I think it might be time to present Rory and Charlotte with their graduation gifts." Richard smiled.

"Oh, you guys didn't have to get us anything." Rory said.

"Nonsense." Emily said.

"Uh...well, this one wouldn't fit in an envelope, so follow me please." Richard said leading them over to the car park.

"We're really excited about this one." Emily smiled.

"Rory, Charlotte, there are your gifts. They're the ones with the bows." Richard smiled.

"Uh...Grandpa..." Rory said.

"Richard!" Emily exclaimed.

Richard looked towards the parking lot and saw that it was filled with cars with bows on them. "Oh, for Pete's sake. Well, it was the only one there when I drove them up!" He said annoyed.

"You should have put more distinctive bows on them." Emily said.

"Well how was I supposed to know that every kid at Chilton was getting a car?"

"You got us cars?" Rory asked amazed.

"We got you cars." Richard smiled.

"That's really kind of you but..." Charlotte started.

"Don't. I already told them Jess was giving you his but they wouldn't take no as an answer." Lorelai said.

Charlotte smirked. "This is too much." She told her grandparents.

"Nonsense!" Emily said.

"This is amazing. Thank you!" Rory beamed hugging them both. "I love you guys!"

"We love you, too." Emily smiled.

"Yeah this is really cool." Charlotte smiled hugging them too.

"And don't forget to call about..." Richard started.

"Insurance. We'll do it the second we get home." Rory nodded.

"Good. Congratulations, both of you." He smiled. He turned to Charlotte. "And thank you for your speech."

"You're welcome. I meant it, thank you for everything." Charlotte smiled at them.

"Have fun in Europe." Emily smiled. She glanced at Lorelai. "All of you."

"Thank you, Mom." Lorelai smiled.

"When do you get back?"

"The 27th."

"Terrific. We'll see you that Friday for dinner." Emily smiled before walking off with Richard.

"No strings huh?" Lorelai said to Charlotte and Rory as she walked off with them.

* * *

That evening, back at the Crap Shack, Lorelai had thrown a graduation party for Charlotte and Rory with the help of Sookie and Luke. Charlotte smiled as she looked round the room at everyone. Rory was on the couch with Tristan. Jess was with Luke and her mom was talking to Sookie and Jackson. She took it all in, letting out the deep breath before heading outside for some fresh air and going to sit on the porch swing at the front.

"Want some company?" A familiar voice said after a minute.

"Hey." Charlotte smiled at Jess.

"Nice party." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, mom always knows how to throw a good party." Charlotte smiled.

"You ok?" Jess asked noticing how quiet she was.

Charlotte sighed. "I guess the graduation has made it feel more real. I'm really going to move away from here, away from...well, you know." She said.

"We'll be ok." Jess said gruffly.

Charlotte glanced at him. "I know." She smiled softly. "I just...I'm going to miss you, that's all." She said sighing, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Jess put his arm round her shoulders. "Me too." He said.

"Hey Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"My grandparents bought me a car for my graduation present. My mom tried to talk them out of it but they wouldn't take no for an answer." Charlotte said. "I'm sorry. I know how much work you've put into the car.."

"It's fine." Jess said.

"It is?" Charlotte asked relieved.

"Yeah. I'm kind of getting attached to the car anyway." He smirked.

Charlotte smirked. "Ok. Well good." She said. They were quiet for a moment listening to the music that was playing inside the house. "This is nice." She said softly.

"Yeah it is." Jess smiled.

Charlotte smiled at him and snuggled into him.

"Hey Charlie?" He said.

"Yeah?"

"Marry me." He said.

 **So a big twist at the end there! I was really nervous about this so please let me know what you think! :) I really do appreciate every comment I get from you all so thank you! :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Wow thank you so much for your support with the last chapter! I'm overwhelmed! :)**

Chapter 31

"What?" Charlotte said sitting up.

"Marry me." Jess repeated.

"You're kidding right?" Charlotte said laughing slightly. She watched as Jess pulled out a small velvety box and opened it, revealing a ring. "Oh my god, you aren't kidding." She said getting up.

"Please don't freak out." He said getting up too.

"Well I am freaking out!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Jess, we're 18! We're too young!"

"Dean and Lindsey did it and they're happy." Jess pointed out.

"Yeah but we're not Dean and Lindsey!" Charlotte exclaimed. "God Jess, why do you have to spring this on me now? I'm going to Europe tomorrow and then I'm off to Yale!"

"I know that. I'm sorry I've sprung it on you. I know I should have asked Lorelai first and I probably should have made the proposal more romantic but I was sat here with you and I just...I needed to ask." Jess said.

"We're too young to get married!" She repeated.

"I'm not saying we have to get married this year or next year or even the year after that. I just...I know, Charlie. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to show you I'm committed!" Jess exclaimed. "Why, do you not want that?"

"Urgh, of course I do you stupid idiot!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I just...why change things? We don't need to! I thought things were going well!"

"They were! They are! But I want to marry you. Eventually. I can't hide that." Jess said.

"Oh my god, I can't cope with this right now." Charlotte shook her head, walking back towards the front door. She turned back. "I think you should go." She said quietly.

"What?" Jess said shocked. "Charlie..."

"I just...I need to get my head round this." She said.

"Are you breaking up with me?" He asked, now regretting his proposal.

Charlotte's face softened at Jess' worried one. "No." She said quietly. "I just...need some time." She admitted. "Please?"

Jess took a deep breath. "Ok. Fair enough. But before I go, here." He said, handing her a video.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Your graduation present." He said.

"You didn't need to get me anything." She said surprised.

"I know. But I wanted to. Just take it. Please?" Jess said.

Charlotte smiled at him and took it. "Thanks." She said.

Jess nodded and turned to go but then hesitated and turned back. "I won't change my mind." He said. "I want to be with you the rest of my life."

Charlotte sighed but just nodded and then disappeared inside.

* * *

Later that evening, all the guests had left the party and it was just Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory left. Lorelai glanced across at Charlotte. "You've been quiet." She said. "Is everything ok?"

"What?" Charlotte said turning towards her mom. "Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Jess left early. Did you have a fight or something?"

"No." Charlotte said quickly.

"But..."

"I'm tired. I think I'm going to head to bed. Night." Charlotte said getting up.

"Oh. Ok. Night hon." Lorelai said confused.

"I think I'll go too." Rory said getting up. "Night mom."

"Night sweets." Lorelai said.

Rory followed Charlotte to their bedroom. She watched as her sister got changed for bed and then got into bed. "Are you sure everything's ok?" She said.

Charlotte sighed. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you." She said.

"Believe what? Did something happen with Jess?" She asked. "You know you can tell me anything."

Charlotte looked up at her sister. "He asked me to marry him." She said quietly.

"He...what?" Rory said stunned.

"We were sat outside on the porch swing and we were chatting and suddenly...he just asked." She told her.

"Wow...You're so..."

"Young, I know." Charlotte sighed. "That's what I told him."

"So...you said no?" Rory asked cautiously.

"No..well...oh I don't know. I was too freaked out to really reply at all." Charlotte said. "I asked him to go. Urgh why is this so messed up? Everything was good! Jess and I were good! Why did he have to spoil everything?" She exclaimed.

"Well..." Rory said trying to get her head round everything.

"Well what?"

"Nothing. I just...he must really love you to ask you." Rory said cautiously. "Or do you think it was a spur of the moment thing? Like do you think he was just caught up in the moment? Because if so, he might be feeling pretty stupid right now..."

"He'd bought a ring." She said quietly.

"Oh." Rory said.

Charlotte blinked tears away. "I don't want to lose him, Ror. I love him so much. I can't see my life without him but...but..."

"You're not ready to get married?" Rory said softly.

"Yeah..." Charlotte admitted. "I mean he said we didn't have to do it straight away but being engaged at 18. I mean mom's going to freak. And then Grandma and Grandpa..."

"Ok stop." Rory said.

"What?"

"Forget about everyone else for a moment ok?" Rory said. "Just think about yourself. If you really don't want this, you need to tell him. If he loves you, he'll understand." She tried to reassure her.

"I don't want to lose him." Charlotte said quietly.

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because...he loves you enough to propose. He's not just going to dump you." Rory said.

"Do you think it's crazy? What he asked?" Charlotte asked, looking across at her sister.

Rory hesitated. "Well...I think you're still so young..." She said. "But..."

"But what?"

"It's your choice, Charlie." She said softly. "It's your life. I can't make the decision for you."

"If Tristan asked you today, would you say yes?" She asked.

"That's different." Rory said.

"How?" Charlotte asked.

"Because we haven't been together as long as you and Jess. We're not at that stage yet. And you and Jess have gone through so much together. It's completely different." Rory said.

"Urghh why did he have to ask?" Charlotte groaned lying down in her bed. "I'm tired. I think I'm just going to go to sleep. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Ok." Rory said. "Night."

"Night."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the diner apartment, Luke walked in to find Jess sat on the couch staring into space. "Hey, you left early. Is everything ok?" He asked.

"Fine." Jess mumbled.

"That's convincing." Luke said. "What's wrong? Did something happen with Charlotte?"

"Everything's fine. Just leave it alright?!" Jess snapped.

Luke held up his hands. "Ok fine. As you wish." He said disappearing into the bathroom.

Jess watched him and sighed. He didn't know why he had asked Charlotte. It just felt right but obviously it wasn't. He saw Luke come out of the bathroom several minutes later. He watched as his uncle walked around the apartment getting ready for bed, obviously deliberately avoiding asking him any questions. "I think I messed things up." He said quietly.

Luke stopped and looked over at him. "What do you mean? With Charlotte?" He asked cautiously.

Jess nodded. "I..I asked her to marry me." He admitted.

"You what?" Luke asked shocked.

"Yeah go on, have a go at me! That's what she did!" Jess sighed leaning back on the couch.

Luke was quiet for a moment before going to sit next to him. "So..she said no?" He asked cautiously.

"She didn't say yes." Jess mumbled. He sighed. "It totally freaked her out. I shouldn't have sprung it on her. I've ruined everything!"

"I'm sure you haven't." Luke tried to reassure him.

"You didn't see her. She was totally freaked. She asked me to leave!" Jess exclaimed.

"Probably so she could have some time to get her head round it." Luke said.

Jess glanced at him. "I thought you'd be happy. I thought you'd be against it."

"I'm not going to lie. I think you're too young to think about marriage." Luke said honestly. "But it's your life...I can't exactly tell you what to do. It hasn't made any difference before. You never listen to me anyway." He said smirking slightly.

Jess looked and him and smirked slightly. "Yeah well...I should have talked to you about it. I should have talked to Lorelai. But I was sat out there with her and suddenly I just knew. I needed to ask." He said. He put his hand in his pocket and brought out the ring. "I have thought about it."

"I see that." Luke said surprised that he had actually gone and bought a ring. He looked at his nephew and sighed. "You really love her huh?"

"More than anything." Jess admitted. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I've known since..."

"Since when?" Luke asked interested. Jess hadn't exactly opened up to him like this before.

"Since she walked down the stairs at that debutante ball her and Rory did." Jess admitted. "I saw her walking down and she looked...well you know." He said blushing slightly embarrassed.

"I think we should get some sleep. It's late." Luke said. "I'm sure things will turn out ok. You'll talk to Charlotte before she goes to Europe and things will be good again."

"If she wants to talk to me." Jess shrugged. He sighed and got up. "Night." He said.

"Night." Luke said watching him go over to his bed.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte woke up early. She had hardly slept all night thinking about what had happened the evening before. She sat up in bed and looked over at Rory, who was still fast asleep. She then saw the video tape Jess had given her last night. She didn't know what it could be but she knew she couldn't wait any longer. She picked it up and quietly went into the living room and put it in the tv and then pressed play. Jess' face suddenly appeared on the screen, holding his guitar.

"So..uh..I'm too much of a coward to play you this in real life because...well because it's the first time I've written a song for a girl. Well for anyone really." Jess started saying. "So I guess I was too nervous to play it to you live. But I wanted you to hear it. I love you. Happy graduation!" He said.

Charlotte watched with tears in her eyes as Jess started to strum on his guitar and started singing his original song.

"Huh, I didn't know he could play." A voice said from the stairs.

Charlotte looked round in surprise and saw her mom stood on the stairs. "Yeah..uh..he's really good." She said quietly.

"I can see that." Lorelai smiled walking down to join her daughter on the couch. "He wrote this for you?" She asked.

"Apparently." Charlotte said looking back at the screen.

"Sweet." Lorelai smiled. Charlotte suddenly felt tears fall freely from her eyes which Lorelai noticed. "Charlie? What's wrong?"

"I've ruined everything!" She cried.

"What do you mean?" Lorelai asked worried.

"I can't tell you. You're going to hate Jess!" She cried.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why? What did he do?"

"I can't say..."

"Ok you're scaring me now!" Lorelai said worried.

"He asked me to marry him." Charlotte said quietly. She looked up when her mom hadn't said anything. "Mom?"

"Yeah?" Lorelai said in shock.

"Please say something." She begged.

"Uh...I don't quite know what to say..." She admitted.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah that was exactly my reaction. I totally freaked out and then I asked him to leave." She said. "He must hate me!"

"Oh no hon, I think him...well asking you what he did...contradicts that." Lorelai said.

"Are you totally freaked out right now?" Charlotte asked her.

"Honestly? Yeah." Lorelai admitted. "You're 18. You're going to Yale. You're..."

"I know! That's what I told him. He told me we didn't have to do it straight away." Charlotte said. "Urghh why did he have to ask? Things were good!"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Well...he must really love you."

"I'm not ready to get married." Charlotte admitted. "At least not yet. But I don't want to lose him. I love him so much, mom! And he was right, I do want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"Hon, I can't tell you what to do." Lorelai said quietly.

"Why not?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Tell me I can't marry him! Forbid me to! It wasn't that long ago you despised him! Why aren't you against this?"

Lorelai had to smile at her daughter's outburst. "I'm not going to lie. I think you're too young. But hon, if I tell you what to do, I'm as bad as my mother and I always told myself I wouldn't turn into her."

"Well I wish you would this once and make the decision for me." Charlotte grumbled.

"You need to talk to him, hon." Lorelai said softly. "You need to be honest with him. If he's serious about sticking by you, he'll understand."

"That's what Rory said." Charlotte sighed.

"Go on, go talk to him now." Lorelai said. "We've still got a couple of hours before we have to leave."

"Ok." Charlotte said getting up. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She said quietly.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Be honest with him."

"I will." Charlotte said before leaving the house, leaving Lorelai sat there stunned by what she had just heard. She was somewhat relieved that it looked like her daughter was going to say no though.

* * *

Charlotte was walking towards the diner when suddenly she saw Jess leaving it. She slowly walked up to him. "Hey." She said quietly.

"Oh. Hey." Jess said surprised. "I was just..uh..going to come over..."

"Oh." Charlotte said. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Charlotte then sighed. "Look Jess..." She started.

"No, let me say something first. Please." Jess said quickly.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Ok."

"I'm sorry I sprung it on you like that." He said. "It was wrong of me and I'm sorry. But I don't regret asking. I love you ok? I love you so much. I've never felt like this about anyone before. Ever! I knew the moment you walked down those stairs at that debutante ball. Wearing trainers." He said smirking slightly, causing Charlotte to smile as well at the memory. He took a deep breath. "I meant it when I said we don't need to get married straight away. Hell I'd wait thirty years if that's what you want. But I want to be engaged to you. I want to be committed to you because..well..I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. Even when lots of good looking college guys start hitting on you."

Charlotte smiled at that. "Jess, you know I would never..."

"I know." He said quickly. "Charlotte, I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't serious. I'm sorry about the way I did it. It wasn't fair on you so for that I'm sorry. But I meant it. I love you so much. I don't want to lose you." He said passionately.

"I don't want to lose you either." Charlotte said softly.

"No?" Jess said relieved.

"Of course not! I love you, Jess. You've made me so happy these past two years. You mean so much to me." She said. "I watched your video. Thank you. I've never had anyone write me a song before." She smiled.

"It was nothing." He shrugged, self consciously. He looked at her and sighed. "Look, if you just want to forget it ever happened. The...proposal. That's fine. I'll keep asking though."

Charlotte smiled at him and looking him in his eyes, she suddenly knew. "Ask me again." She said.

"What?" He said confused.

"Get that ring and ask me again." She smiled.

Jess was surprised but took out the ring from his pocket. "Ok...uh..." He said awkwardly. He slowly went down on one knee. "Charlotte Gilmore, will you marry me?" He asked. "Well...eventually." He added.

Charlotte laughed. "Yes. Yes I will marry you." She grinned. "Well eventually!" She added.

Jess smirked and got up and put the ring on her finger. "You're really sure about this?" He asked.

"I was all determined to come here and tell you no." She admitted. "But you're too good with your words. And I realised I want everything you said. I want people to know we're committed to each other. I love you." She smiled.

"I love you too." Jess smiled.

"I have to go finish packing but..."

"But what?"

Charlotte put her arms round his neck and kissed him passionately. "Something to keep you going for when I'm in Europe." She joked.

Jess chuckled. "Oh I won't forget that."

"I'll call you lots. And I'll send you postcards." Charlotte said.

Jess nodded. "Have fun."

"I love you." She smiled softly, kissing him again.

"Right back at ya." Jess said.

"See ya." Charlotte smiled.

"Bye." He said, watching her walk away. He smiled to himself as it started to dawn on him what had just happened and he was happy. He was really happy for the first time in his life. He watched Charlotte disappear from sight and then slowly turned back round and went back into the diner.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep your reviews coming. They really do mean so much to me! And I really appreciate every single one of them so thank you! :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Thank you so much for your continued support! I really am overwhelmed! :) Just to say I'm away from Friday until Monday so I might not be able to update until I get home. :)**

Chapter 32

An airport shuttle van arrived and dropped Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory off in front of their house and then drove off.

"Arghh!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"And we're home." Rory said.

"How long does a freaking van ride take?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Not that long!" Rory said.

"Everybody in the world's life flashed before my eyes. That's how much time I had. I thought we were going to die on that van!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"It seemed a good possibility." Charlotte said.

"Urgh, that van ride felt longer than our train ride from Paris to Prague and we had that group of French boys singing Sk8er Boi and smelling like a soccer field sitting all around us!" Lorelai said.

Just then they were interrupted by Babette coming out of her house and rushing over to them.

"Oh my God, you're back! Morey, they're back! Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?" She exclaimed.

"Oh, we're fine." Lorelai said confused.

"You're fine? They're fine!" Babette shouted back to Morey.

After explaining how Rory had given her an itinerary, Babette insisted on going inside and making them hot chocolate.

"She's making cocoa because you gave her an itinerary!" Lorelai whispered to Rory as the three of them walked through to the kitchen.

"Ok, I want to hear all about Europe. Come on, tell me, what'd you see?" Babette asked.

"Well, everything. Uh, Notre Dame, the Roman Baths, St. Peter's Basilica." Lorelai said.

"Mom touched the Pope." Charlotte smirked.

"You're kidding!"

"Actually, I just touched his car. Then one of the Swiss guards in the fruity cool clothing busted me." Lorelai joked.

"Luckily, Mom's fluent in flirting." Rory said.

"And flirting with a guy in a pompom hat and a skirt is quite an accomplishment." Lorelai grinned.

"Well, it sounds like you had a terrific trip." Babette said.

"It was." Rory smiled. She saw her mom signal for her to pretend she was tired so she faked a yawn.

"Aw, are you ok, hon?" She said innocently.

"Yeah, I'm just a little sleepy." Rory said.

"Aw, of course, you girls must be wiped. I'll, uh, get out of here." Babette said.

"Oh, but thanks, Babette!" Lorelai smiled.

"Well, goodnight, sleep tight. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She said leaving.

"I'm going to go unpack." Rory said getting up and going into their bedroom.

"Oh, unpack tomorrow." Lorelai said following her.

"No, if I leave stuff packed overnight, everything's going to get gross." Rory said.

"Everything's already gross."

"I missed you, I missed you all!" Rory exclaimed as she opened her closet.

"If I had done it in my twenties or teens, I would've been naïve enough to think that hostels were exotic and romantic. But once you're in your thirties, you've lived enough to know they're gross and should be avoided at all costs." Lorelai said.

"I had a dream about you in Copenhagen. You were there, and you, and you, and you." Rory said talking to her clothes.

Charlotte smirked. "Yes so did I!" She joked.

"Listen, since we slept on the plane we should go to sleep now,but get up really early tomorrow. We don't want to blow this whole week being jet-lagged. We need to establish normal sleeping patterns." Lorelai said.

"Fine." Rory said.

"Ok. I'm going to go take a shower. Night girls."

"Night." Rory smiled.

Charlotte watched her mom leave the room. "I'll be right back." She told Rory and then followed her mom out. "Mom, wait!" She said.

"What's up?" Lorelai asked.

"I was just thinking that maybe we should talk..." Charlotte said, self consciously twiddling her ring around her finger.

"Talk about what?" Lorelai asked.

"You know what about. You've been avoiding talking about it all summer." Charlotte said.

"Because we've all been looking forward to Europe. I didn't want to bring the mood down." Lorelai said.

Charlotte sighed. "I know you're surprised..."

"Understatement of the century." Lorelai said. "I thought you were all determined to go and tell him no. That was the impression I got."

"I was!" Charlotte said. "I really was but when I got there, he did this whole speech about how he was sorry he sprung it on me but that he wasn't sorry he asked because he meant it. But that he would wait thirty years to actually get married if that's what I wanted. And I was stood there looking at him telling me this passionately and I realised..."

"Realised what?"

"Realised that I wanted everything he was saying. I wanted to be committed to him. And it's not like we're going to get married straight away." Charlotte said. She sighed. "I was all ready to tell him no but...he just won me round. I mean if Luke proposed to you tomorrow, what would you say?"

"That's different." Lorelai said.

"Fine but wasn't there a moment when you knew that he was all you wanted? That he was the only person you wanted to be with?" She asked.

Lorelai sighed. "I guess there was, yes." She said softly.

"That's how I feel about Jess. I know we're young and you're worried. But we're not planning on getting married tomorrow. We just...want to be committed to each other. Is that so bad?" Charlotte said.

Lorelai looked at her daughter and smiled. "I guess not." She admitted.

"So are we ok?" She asked.

"We're always ok. Come here." Lorelai sighed bringing her into a hug.

"Thanks mom." Charlotte said hugging her back.

"Right, well, we really should get to sleep." Lorelai said.

"Yeah."

"Go make sure your sister's not making out with he sock drawer." Lorelai smirked.

"Ok, ew!" Charlotte said.

"Night hon." She smiled softly.

"Night mom."

* * *

Jess glanced across at Luke as he was getting ready for bed. "So Charlotte's back. I just got a text." He said.

"Ah so they're finally back huh?" Luke said.

"Yep. Apparently they staked out a hotel in Ireland to try and meet Bono." Jess smirked.

"Huh." Luke said.

Jess looked over at him. "Are you mad at me?" He asked.

"Why would I be mad?" Luke frowned.

"Because I asked Charlotte to marry me and because she said yes." Jess said.

"I'm not mad."

"No? Because you haven't mentioned it since it happened.." Jess said.

Luke sighed. "I'm not going to pretend, Jess. You're still young. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Why the rush?"

"Because I love her." Jess said simply.

"You don't have to marry someone because you love them." Luke pointed out.

"Sure, so you're not thinking about proposing to Lorelai?" He asked.

"That's different." Luke said.

"How?"

"Because...well...because..." Luke tried.

"Look, I love Charlotte. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We're not getting married tomorrow. We just want everyone to know that we're committed to each other. Is that so bad?" Jess said.

Luke sighed. "I guess not..."

"You know, when we do actually get married, I'm going to need a best man..." Jess said nervously.

"I guess you will." Luke nodded.

"There's only really been one person in my life. Well one guy..." Jess said awkwardly.

Luke glanced at him in surprise. "Don't you want to ask Tristan or someone?"

"Don't really know Tristan that well. Plus him and Rory might not even be together when we eventually get married." He pointed out.

"Ok, well what about Dave?"

"He's moving away."

"Zach?"

"Luke..." Jess said.

"Or Brian?"

"Geez Luke, must you make this even harder for me than it already is!" Jess exclaimed.

Luke smirked slightly but his tone softened. "You really want me to be your best man?"

"If you want to..." Jess shrugged.

Luke smiled. "I'd love to. Thanks."

Jess nodded. "Thanks. Well I'm going to head to bed. Night."

"Night." Luke smiled watching him head over to his bed.

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked down the street wearing their backpacks full of gifts for everyone.

"Now we're the quirky backpack ladies." Lorelai said.

"One of the kinder nicknames that have been attributed to us." Rory joked.

"Let's just be very efficient about this. Ok, we'll start with Patty, work our way clockwise around the town, end with Andrew. And let's stick with the 'my mom touched the Pope' anecdote. It's quick, it's peppy, and everybody likes a nice Pope story." Lorelai said.

"Do we have time to stop at Luke's? I'm starving." Charlotte said.

"Or you just want to see your fiance." Rory teased.

"Geez, that sounds weird. Calling Jess my fiance." Charlotte said.

"Well he is."

"Well we can absolutely stop at Luke's. This is our week, this week we do anything we want." Lorelai smiled.

"And you also want to see your boyfriend as well." Rory teased.

"So?"

"I like this week." Rory grinned.

"Oh, hey, looks like the soda shop is open." Lorelai said as they stopped outside.

"Oh, cool!" Charlotte said. "And it looks like Luke isn't happy." She smirked.

"I am going to kill you!" Luke exclaimed angrily.

"Oh, please, you are not!" Taylor said.

"I am, too. I'm going to kill you. I should've killed you before! I should've killed you the minute you put up those unicorn topiaries in the park, but, hey, hindsight, right?" Luke snapped.

"Aw, I've missed that." Rory said.

"What do you think, biscotti moment?" Lorelai grinned.

"Absolutely." Charlotte grinned and they took out some biscotti and started eating it.

"You don't have to yell, Luke." Taylor said.

"You put a giant window in my wall!" Luke exclaimed.

"So what?"

"A giant window! Right here! You can see my entire diner. And when I'm in my diner, I can see your whole stupid store!"

"I don't understand why yours is a diner and mine is a stupid store." Taylor said hurt.

"Look at this place! Look at you. All you need is six dancing penguins and Mary Poppins floating in the corner to bring back two of the worst hours of my childhood."

"I don't think you had a childhood. I think you came out a bitter surly killjoy." Taylor grumbled.

"You can't change the basic structure of this place without my ok!" Luke exclaimed.

"Oh my God!" Lorelai suddenly gasped.

"Hm, what? What's the matter?" Rory asked.

"Luke!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's finally lost it." Charlotte laughed as she watched Luke throw candy everywhere.

"No, we forgot Luke!"

"We forgot Luke what? Oh, we forgot to bring him back a gift. Oh no!" Charlotte said.

"We kept putting it off and putting it off. I'm a rubbish girlfriend!" Lorelai pouted.

"No you're not. We just couldn't find anything good enough." Charlotte said.

"We should've gotten him that bullfighter's uniform." Lorelai said.

"Well, so what do we do?" Rory asked.

"Well, we have to just pick up something here and we'll tell him that we got it in Denmark." She said.

"Pick up what?"

"Something."

"What? This is Stars Hollow. Everything you buy here has a Hello, Kitty stamped on the bottom." Rory pointed out.

"Well, we have to get him something. Even if it's to just save my relationship! We cannot go into Luke's empty handed." She said.

"Great." Charlotte said dryly. "Well good luck with that. In the meantime though, I'm going to go see my fiance."

Lorelai gasped. "Traitor!"

"Hey I'm not the one who forgot to buy something for their guy!" She grinned, walking off towards Luke. "Good luck!"

"Urgh come on." She told Rory.

"I'm hungry." Rory complained but followed her mom.

Meanwhile, Charlotte walked into the diner and immediately smiled when she saw Jess behind the counter. She bounded up to the counter and sat down on a stool. "Hey!" She grinned.

"Hey." He smiled, leaning over to kiss her.

"Miss me?"

"Of course." He said.

"Have you seen what's going on next door?" Charlotte smirked.

"Pretty hard not to." Jess smirked.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know. We went fishing for a couple of days and we came back and it was there. Luke was furious."

"Poor Taylor." Charlotte smirked.

"So how was Europe?" He asked.

"Amazing! We had so much fun!" Charlotte beamed.

"Sounds it." Jess smiled. "That's good."

"I got you something." She said heaving her backpack onto the stool next to her and unzipping it.

"Oh you didn't have to." He said.

"Please!" She scoffed. "Here!" She smiled handing him a guitar pick.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Well when we were waiting for Bono to appear..."

"You mean when you were stalking him." Jess smirked.

"Anyway, he never showed but I think the hotel staff felt sorry for us so they gave us some t-shirts. But then I saw the picks and I thought you'd love one so I traded my shirt in for it." She said.

"Well I do love it." He smiled. "Thank you." He said leaning over to kiss her again.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

* * *

A while later, Lorelai walked into the diner. "Bonjour, Luke. Pouvez-vous attacher vos chausseurs?" She grinned.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Hi Luke. Do you know how to tie your shoes?" Charlotte translated for him.

"Very good." Luke smirked.

"Hi." Lorelai smiled giving him a kiss.

"Hi." Luke smiled, giving her a mug and pouring some coffee into it.

"Aw you remembered." Lorelai smiled.

"Yup. A couple things about you stick. You have a good time?" Luke asked.

"Vos odeurs de chat." She said.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Your cat smells." She grinned.

"You must've been a big hit with the salon set." Luke smirked.

"The trip was incredible, we had the best time. We were supposed to come back on Saturday." She said.

"I know."

"Keeping tabs on me?" She teased.

"Always safer to know which direction the tornado's coming from." He teased.

"Anyhow, we were in London and we ran into this group of girls who were heading to Ireland to stake out the Clarence Hotel." She explained.

"Oh yeah, Charlotte said." He nodded. "Did you see him?"

"No." She sighed.

"Que sera." Luke said.

"I told them about you over there, Señor Swanky-pants." Lorelai smiled.

"Oh yeah, everywhere we went to mom made sure to mention you." Charlotte smirked.

"Can't tell you how grateful I am to have you as my press agent." Luke said.

"And we got you something." Lorelai said.

"You did?" He asked surprised.

"Yes, we did." Lorelai said giving Charlotte a look when she smirked.

"You didn't have to do that." He said.

"What are you talking about? We do not go to Europe and come back without bringing something for Luke. Here." She said handing him a jar of jam.

"Seriously?" Charlotte said.

"Jam." Luke said.

"Yes, fancy French jam."

"Fruits de la Terre. Very impressive."

"It's handmade by this woman in Paris who has the most amazing story." Lorelai said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Orphaned."

"Uh huh." Luke said.

"What else?" Charlotte asked, smirking. She could tell Luke was not buying it.

"And illiterate."

"Ok." He said.

"Just had nothing in her life, you know, except this burning desire to be the world's greatest jamstress. And she's famous now and, uh, you know, she only makes three bottles of that stuff a year and that's one of them, and I brought it all the way across the, uh. . .I got it from Sookie's house." She sighed finally giving up.

"No." He smirked.

"How did you know?"

"Just a wild guess." He said.

"I swear, we tried to get you something but nothing was good enough." Lorelai sighed. "Right?" She said to Charlotte.

"She's right. We did look." Charlotte nodded.

"Forget it." He smiled.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's fine. Want some food?" He asked.

"Burger and fries."

"Coming right up." He smiled.

* * *

After discovering that they had gotten the dates wrong, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were each carrying several shopping bags as they walked through the town square the following day.

"I'm so wiped!" Lorelai said as they sat down on a bench. "God, Mr. Jet Lag wants to be my best friend."

"Well, do you want to go home and rest?" Rory asked.

"No. We have a Godfather night to salvage. Check the list." She said.

"Ok, we got the sheets, towels, bathroom shower caddy and the basic first aid accoutrement. We still need to hit the beauty supply, the hardware store, stationery store." She read.

"The mattress store." Lorelai added.

"You do know that they supply us with a mattress at the dorm." Charlotte said.

"Yeah. A mattress that decades of students in various states of cleanliness have slept on. Some without pyjamas." Lorelai said.

"Gross." Rory screwed up her face.

"Exactly."

"We've been running around for hours and this list isn't getting any shorter. We're never going to finish." Charlotte said.

"Stop. Yes, we are. We just need to split up. We'll get all this done quicker. I'll take the, uh, beauty supply and you take the stationery store and we'll meet back here in twenty minutes." She said.

"Ok. Oh, boy." Charlotte said.

"What?"

"Well, I'm going to walk right past that stupid grand opening." She exclaimed. "Taylor will see me and start going on about how I'm too big to be the Ice Cream Queen! Urgh this sucks!" She groaned.

"Well, I would take the stationery store but you're both so weird about what kind of pens you like." She said.

"No, it's fine." She sighed. "I'll just...I'll walk really fast. Maybe Taylor won't notice me."

"Yeah. You better walk really fast, like warp speed Mr. Sulu kind of fast." Lorelai commented.

"Let's go." Rory said.

"Twenty minutes!" Lorelai called after them.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were stood outside the Gilmore Mansion for Friday Night Dinner.

"You ok?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"I'm not going to be able to hide this, am I?" She sighed looking down at her ring.

"Nope." Rory said. "Look, I've got your back ok?"

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Just then Emily opened the door. "Charlotte, Rory!"

"Hey, Grandma." Rory smiled.

"Hi Grandma." Charlotte said.

"Come on in." Emily smiled.

They went into the living room and after exchanging presents with both grandparents, the questioning about Lorelai started.

"So, where is your mother tonight? Not sick, I hope." Emily smiled sweetly.

"Oh, no, she's fine. She just had some things to do." Rory said.

"Ah, things." Emily said.

"Errands, actually."

"Errands, of course." Emily said.

"Actually, we got our dates wrong about when we start at Yale and we didn't have enough time to buy everything we needed so mom offered to finish our shopping so that we wouldn't miss dinner with you. She knew this was important to you." Charlotte clarified. She didn't want her mom getting into trouble.

"I see." Emily said slowly.

"She honestly was going to come." Charlotte said. "She'll be here next week."

"Ok, well I guess this once, she can be excused." Emily said.

"Good. Thanks." Charlotte smiled.

"So is that a new ring?" She asked.

Charlotte took a deep breath. She knew this was coming. She glanced at Rory who smiled encouragingly at her. "Yeah. Uh...Jess gave it to me." She admitted.

"Jess did?" Emily asked surprised, glancing at Richard who looked surprised as well.

"Yeah..."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong but wearing it like that makes it look like you're engaged." Emily said laughing slightly. "Obviously that can't be the case."

"Uh...actually..." Charlotte cringed.

"You're engaged?" Richard asked narrowing his eyes.

"Jess proposed, yes. But we're not getting married anytime soon. I'm off to Yale and he's resitting his last year at school. We don't have any plans yet. We just wanted to be committed to each other." She said. "And we're happy. Really happy." She added quickly.

"We're all happy for them." Rory chipped in. "And we came here for a nice meal before we go off to Yale so please, can we not have any arguments?"

Emily and Richard exchanged glances. "Very well. But we would like Jess to come for dinner next week." Emily said.

"Grandma..." Charlotte said.

"No more will be talked of it tonight but only if Jess comes to dinner next week." Emily said firmly.

Charlotte sighed. "Ok, I'll ask him."

"Good." She said.

They went through to the dining room and started eating dinner. It was only when they were nearly finished the main course that Emily called the maid out.

"Gerta, you can put the soufflé in now." She said.

"Soufflé?" Rory asked exchanging a glance with Charlotte.

"Yes, we're going to have a special dessert, something to celebrate your homecoming." Emily smiled.

"Well, why didn't she put it in the oven when we sat down to dinner? Those things take forever to cook." Richard commented.

"Exactly." Charlotte said under her breath. She knew the conversation about Jess has ended too easily.

"It's nice to mix it up once in awhile. Oh, I have a wonderful idea. Girls, have you ever seen a ballroom dancing competition?" Emily asked.

"Uh, no..." Rory said.

"You would love it. It is so exciting and the costumes are beautiful. I've been taping them since 1978. Can you imagine?"

"No." Charlotte smirked.

"Alright, then. After dessert, we are going to hunker down in that den that we never use and I am pulling out those tapes. We'll just start at the beginning and see how far we get. Perfect, here's the cheese. I'll take that, Gerta." She smiled handing it out.

Rory and Charlotte exchanged a glance, knowing it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Luke were loading Rory and Charlotte's things for Yale into the back of Luke's truck at the Crap Shack.

"Geez, you think you go to a fancy school like Yale there'd be a mattress in the room." Luke said.

"Yeah. Go figure, huh?" Lorelai grinned.

"You packed their stuff in Hefty bags?" He asked.

"Hey, they're lucky I even had these in the house." Lorelai said.

"If you needed luggage, you should've asked me." He said.

"You have luggage?"

"Yes, I have luggage. Why wouldn't I have luggage?"

"You never go anywhere."

"I used to." Luke said. "As a family, we used to go away on trips a lot."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yup." He said.

"Well thanks for your help." She said changing the subject. She knew it was hard for Luke to talk about his parents.

"No problem."

"You know, I really missed you." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah? Me too." He smiled.

"I'm sorry about the gift." She said softly.

"Don't worry about it." He said. he leant forward and kissed her. "I'm just glad you had a good time."

"We did. We really did." Lorelai smiled.

"Good." Luke smiled.

"So...uh...have you talked to Jess?" She asked as they went and sat down on the porch steps.

"Yeah. He seems pretty determined in their decision." He said.

"Yeah. So does Charlotte." She sighed.

"You against it?"

"No." She said honestly. "It's a bit...weird. But I can't deny that they make each other really happy."

"Yeah that's true." Luke nodded. "And Charlotte's been very good for Jess."

"They are a good match." Lorelai agreed.

"He asked me to be his best man." Luke admitted.

"Really?" Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah. I was sort of surprised. I mean, he has guy friends."

"Yeah but you're the most important guy in his life. I'm not surprised he asks you. You mean a lot to him." She said softly.

"Thanks." He said softly.

Just then her cell phone rang. "Sorry." She said pulling it out. "Hello?" She answered.

"She's taken us hostage!" Rory said.

"Help!" Charlotte called from the background.

"What?"

"She's not letting us leave. Dinner lasted an hour. She didn't even put the soufflé in the oven until we'd already finished and now we're watching taped ballroom dancing competitions that date back to the 1800's." Rory said.

"You haven't left yet?" Lorelai sighed.

"Are you listening to me? We can't leave. She won't let us leave ever. This is Iran in '79 and you are Jimmy Carter. What do we do?" Rory exclaimed.

"Well, first we have to lose the Jimmy Carter comparison, and second, I have to come get you. This is about me and me not showing up, so maybe if I put in an appearance, she'll let you go." She sighed.

"I don't think it's about you. She seemed to accept why you weren't here. I think this is about...well I don't know to be honest." Rory sighed. "Please, mom. It's our last night with you. Come get us."

"I'm on my way." Lorelai said.

"Thank you!"

Lorelai sighed as she hung up. "I have to go get Rory and Charlotte."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, just my mother." She said. "See you tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

"Sure." He nodded.

"Thanks again for your help."

"No problem." He smiled. "Go get them."

"Bye." She smiled giving him a kiss.

"Bye."

* * *

Later that evening, after a slight confrontation with her mother, Lorelai found herself sat on the couch with her daughters at her parents' house watching ballroom dancing tapes. It wasn't what she had planned but, in a way, it was actually quite nice.

"Oh, watch this. This part's really good!" Rory said.

"Ouch, that has got to hurt." Lorelai said watching the dancers do the splits.

"Cool, huh?" Charlotte grinned.

"Extremely. Plus, the whole matching haircut thing adds a level of commitment to their act that the other acts just lack. Oh, hey, careful where you put the hand there, mister." She joked.

"You know they rehearse every night, plus they have classes, plus they go to the gym four times a week?" Rory said.

"Really? Oh my God, she's balancing on his hand. He is like Superman. Or Wonder Woman. Either way, he's very strong!" She laughed.

They were quiet for a moment. "So, tomorrow..." Charlotte said quietly.

"Yeah, tomorrow." Lorelai said quietly.

"It's a big day." Rory said.

"It's a really big day." Lorelai nodded.

"I just hope it's everything we've been imagining it to be." Rory said.

"Yeah. I just hope you actually get there." Lorelai joked as they all glanced over to Emily who had now fallen asleep on the other couch.

"Nothing will change right?" Charlotte said. "Between the three of us. We may be separated but we'll still be as close."

"Absolutely." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Good." Charlotte smiled.

"Nothing can tear us apart." Rory smiled.

They all smiled at each other before snuggling up and sharing out biscotti as they continued to watch the ballroom dancing, thinking about what the next day was going to bring.

 **I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you so much for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 33

Rory and Charlotte walked out of their bedroom with some last minute things to pack in their suitcases which was in the living room.

"We've got too much stuff." Rory said.

"Totally." Charlotte agreed.

"What?" Lorelai called from upstairs.

"Too much stuff! And it's your fault! You inculcated into us a tolerance for rampant consumerism!" Rory said louder.

"What?" Lorelai repeated.

"When did we become those girls with dozens of beauty products none of which are expendable?" Charlotte said. "It used to be a touch of mascara, dab of Coppertone, zip, bam, boom, out the door."

"I heard copper and boom!" Lorelai called down the stairs.

"Never mind. What's going on? We're late!" Charlotte called up.

"I'm looking for the camera." She called back.

"Oy vey, she's looking for the camera." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I heard that." Lorelai said.

"That she hears." Rory said causing Charlotte to smirk.

"It is my prerogative as your mother to record any event in my daughters' lives that I so choose. It's in the mother's handbook." Lorelai said coming down the stairs finally.

"Does Luke know that you can't drive a stick?" Rory asked.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"Because you borrowed his truck and it's a stick." Charlotte smirked.

"I can drive a stick." She said.

"You can stir coffee with a stick, but you can't drive a stick." Rory said.

"Ok, I am glad I did not choose to record that particular moment in my daughters' lives because that was just ugly." Lorelai pouted.

"We just want you to get there in one piece." Charlotte smiled.

"You look out for me." Lorelai smiled.

"Let's hit the road!" Rory smiled and they all headed out the house.

* * *

"So is Tristan meeting you there?" Charlotte asked Rory as they walked into Luke's.

"Yep." Rory smiled.

"Cool." Charlotte smiled as they sat down at the counter. "Hey Luke!" She smiled.

"Hey." He smiled at them both. "You set for Yale?" He asked.

"Yep! We're going in a minute." Rory nodded.

"You look so calm. How do you feel?" He asked.

"A little nervous, but a last Luke's fix before we go will help." Charlotte grinned.

"Well, today is whatever you want on the house." Luke smiled.

"Wow, we feel important." Rory commented.

"You are important." He said sincerely. "Where's your mom?" He asked.

"She's coming. She's having a little bit of trouble with your truck." Charlotte smirked, causing Luke to look out of the diner window.

"What is she doing?" He asked.

"Well, she backed the truck out of our driveway all fine and everything but once she hit the road, she couldn't get it out of reverse, so she..." Rory said.

"Backed it here?" Luke said in disbelief.

"Slow but steady." Charlotte grinned and watched as Luke left the diner. She then spotted Jess hovering by the stairs. "I'll be right back. Order what we agreed." She told Rory.

"Got it." Rory nodded looking around for Caesar.

Charlotte walked over to Jess. "Hey." She said.

"Hey." He said. "You all set?"

"Yep. Well as soon as our mom can work out how to get the truck out of reverse." Charlotte smirked glancing through the window to see Luke arguing with her.

"Sounds about right." Jess smirked.

"I'll really miss you." Charlotte said quietly.

Jess sighed. "Yeah me too." He said.

They glanced over when they heard Luke and Lorelai come in and argue over the truck. They smirked when they saw it turn into banter which ended up with Luke drawing a helpful diagram for her and then Caesar handing a take out bag to Rory. Lorelai leant over and kissed Luke and then glanced over at Charlotte. "Right let's get going girls!" She smiled.

"I'll be right there." Charlotte said.

"Ok!" Lorelai said knowing she wanted a minute with Jess. "We'll meet you outside."

Charlotte nodded and turned back to Jess. "Call you tonight?" She said.

"I'll be free." He nodded.

"Be good. Go to school this time ok?" She smirked.

"I'll try." Jess smirked.

"Well...I guess I should go." Charlotte sighed.

"Wait one minute." He said.

"Why?"

"Come here." He said pulling her behind the curtain out of view of everyone in the diner.

"What?" She asked.

Jess leant forward and kissed her passionately. "Just wanted to give you a proper goodbye." He smiled.

Charlotte grinned. "Well proper goodbye greatly appreciated."

"Good." He smirked.

Charlotte sighed. "Bye Jess." She said softly.

"Bye. Go take Yale by storm." He smiled.

Charlotte gave him one last kiss before going back into the diner and heading outside. Jess came out and watched as Lorelai went in the truck and Rory and Charlotte got into their new cars and then drove off.

"You ok?"

Jess looked next to him to see Luke standing there. "Yeah.." He said.

"She'll be back before you know it." Luke said. "Now go wipe some tables." He said throwing a cloth at him, smirking.

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

* * *

After meeting Tess and getting the key to their dorm, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory walked into the building.

"It says here specifically that you're supposed to make arrangements to have the old mattress picked up before arrival." Rory said. "So what time are the mattress guys coming?"

"Uh..later today sometime." Lorelai said causing Charlotte to smirk.

"So we have to wait in the room for them or...?" Rory said.

"I think they just let themselves in. Here we are." Lorelai said as they reached their dorm.

"So do the mattress guys have their own key?" Rory asked.

"Rory, get the hint. Mom didn't call them." Charlotte smirked.

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"We'll find a dumpster." Lorelai said.

"Mom, they could trace it back to us!"

"Just relax! We're about to enter our dorm for the first time!" Charlotte said unlocking it and walking in.

"Just like I pictured it." Lorelai smiled.

"Did you see an emergency exit?" Rory asked.

"Cool, a fireplace, too! I wonder if it's woodburning." Charlotte grinned.

"It says here, 'Upon arrival, please take note of the emergency exits.'" Rory read off her map. "Aw man, a piece of my map ripped off!" She complained.

"Which ones are your rooms?" Lorelai asked.

"There's mine!" Charlotte smiled disappearing into a room with C.G on.

"Ooh and here's yours!" Lorelai smiled leading Rory into her room.

Charlotte looked around her room and smiled. Sure, it was small but it was all hers. Of course she didn't mind sharing with Rory at home but it felt nice to finally have her own space. She dumped her stuff and headed out to the communal area just in time to see their mom dragging Rory back out.

"You are going to be in the moment!" Lorelai said firmly.

"Rip the map!" Charlotte called after them, laughing.

* * *

After their tour later that day, Rory and Charlotte arrived back to their dorm. They went inside to start unpacking when they noticed a girl follow them in and sit down in the communal area. Charlotte rolled her eyes when Rory rushed into her bedroom but followed her.

"Girls, you back?" Lorelai asked coming in but stopping when she saw the girl. Rory waved to her to come into her room so Lorelai did. "Who is that?" She asked.

"I don't know. She just followed us in here like a puppy dog without saying a word." Rory said.

"Maybe she's lost." Lorelai suggested.

"Or maybe she's one of our new suite mates!" Charlotte shook her head. "You two can hide in here but I'm going to go say hi." She said going back out. "Hi!" She smiled at the girl. "I'm Charlotte."

"I'm Tanna." She said shyly standing up.

"Hi! I think we're suitemates. And this is my sister who is also staying here." Charlotte smiled gesturing for Rory to come out who did, followed by Lorelai.

"Hi." Rory smiled.

"Hi." Tanna replied. There was an awkward pause until she spoke again. "I'm adopted."

"Cool." Charlotte said.

"As they're ransacking your room, professional thieves typically start at the bottom drawer and work their way up. That way they don't have to close drawers before opening the next one. Saves time." She blurted out.

"Ok. So, no storing your valuables in the bottom drawer. Got that, girls? Good tip, Tanna. Thanks." Lorelai smiled.

"I'm not so great at extemporaneous speaking, so I've memorised some quick conversational facts I can whip out at a moment's notice. When I get to know you better, I'll memorise some facts that are more specific to your person." Tanna said.

"Tanna, how old are you?" Lorelai asked.

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Rory said surprised.

"On Tuesday." She nodded.

"Cool!" Charlotte smiled.

"Ok, well we still have some more stuff to do, but maybe your parents will be here when I get back. I'd love to meet them." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, well they make a very good first impression." Tanna said.

"I'm sure they do. See you later, kiddo." Lorelai smiled turning to leave with Rory and Charlotte.

"Oh, hey..uh..Charlotte, Rory?" She said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Charlotte asked.

"You nervous?"

"Oh yeah." Rory nodded.

"Ok. Good." Tanna said.

"Bye Tanna." Charlotte smiled and they went out to the hallway where their mom was waiting. "I like her!" She grinned.

"Odd, but nice." Lorelai nodded. "So...this is it." She said.

"This is it." Rory nodded.

"Learn a lot of stuff." She smiled.

"We'll try." Charlotte said.

"And..uh...you know, keep in touch." Lorelai said.

"Well, we'll at least exchange Christmas cards." Charlotte joked.

"With a letter detailing what's happened over the year?"

"And a current photo." Charlotte grinned.

"Don't joke!" Lorelai pouted.

"You started it." Rory pointed out.

"I was masking my pain." Lorelai said.

"You'll see plenty of us." Charlotte reassured her.

"It's not enough."

"How about tons?" Rory suggested.

"That's better. I love you, did you know that?"

"We always suspected it." Charlotte joked.

They hugged when suddenly they bumped into someone with a box.

"Sorry!" Lorelai apologised. "Ooh, a little fridge." She said.

"It's cute." Rory said.

"I want one." Lorelai said.

"Well, go get yourself one." Charlotte laughed.

"For you, I want one for you both!"

"We don't need one." Rory said.

"For sodas and stuff when things are closed. Late night cram sessions." Lorelai pointed out.

"I guess it would come in handy." Charlotte nodded.

"Oh, let's see what these people have going on!" Lorelai said peeking into another room.

"Mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"Right that's it! I have got another trip to make today!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Mom, you've done enough today." Rory said.

"No it won't do. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Copper boom!" She said.

"What?" Rory said confused.

"It's what you said to me this morning when you were trying to speed me up."

"But you missed a bunch of stuff in between." Rory said.

"I think it's catchy!" Lorelai grinned.

"Copper boom!" Charlotte grinned.

"Copper boom!" Lorelai repeated and then walked off.

* * *

"Hey!" Lorelai grinned entering the diner.

"Hey." Luke smiled giving her a quick kiss.

"So, did you check the clock? It's not yet four." Lorelai smiled.

"They're safe and sound?"

"Safe and sound." She nodded.

"And the truck?" Luke asked.

"Well..." Lorelai said.

"She wrecked it." Jess smirked appearing next to Luke.

"It's not wrecked!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I don't see it." Luke said.

"It's around the corner."

"She so wrecked it." Jess smirked.

"Hey shush you!" Lorelai pouted. "Look it's not wrecked but I do need to use it a while longer." She said.

"Because you wrecked it and it's in the shop." Luke smirked.

"Hey we're in a relationship! You should be able to trust me!" Lorelai said leading Luke outside. "See!" She said gesturing to the truck.

"It's full of stuff." He said.

"I know." She grinned.

"Why didn't you unload it?"

"I did, this is my second load."

"You didn't say anything about a second load." Luke said.

"I didn't know I had to have one until I realised what a rubbish mother I'd been compared to the other kids' moms." She said.

"It's still running." Luke said.

"Yeah, well turns out that ignition key is just as misogynistic as that stick shift of yours." She said.

"You just have to jiggle it a little." Luke said jiggling the key and turning it off.

"You didn't mention any jiggling!"

"It's common sense."

"Oh, that."

"Wait, why are the mattresses still there?" Luke asked.

"Oh, that's not the mattresses, that's two mattresses." Lorelai said.

"What?" Luke said totally confused.

"They have their new mattresses. These are the Yale-supplied mattresses that has microbes in it that date back to Henry Box Brown." She explained.

"Well, what are you going to do with them?" He asked. He noticed Lorelai stop and just smile at him. "No." He said immediately.

Lorelai leant forward and kissed him. "What about now?"

"Helped a bit but still no." He smirked.

"Aw come on!" She begged.

"No."

"Well, I can't take them back to Yale!"

"Fine, because I need my truck back." He smirked.

"Fine, but that leaves you with the mattresses."

"I'm not taking them."

"Then let me take the truck."

"But that means you take the mattresses." He pointed out.

"I can't take them!"

"Then you can't have the truck."

"But that sticks you with the mattresses."

"I recognise that tree." Lorelai grinned.

* * *

Charlotte was in her bedroom unpacking when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" She called. She smiled when she saw Tanna nervously enter. "Hey!"

"Hi." Tanna said. "Uh..another suitemate has arrived." She said.

"Oh yeah?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah. She's a little weird. I've already forgotten her name. I'm a disaster with names." She said.

"That's ok." Charlotte said.

"It's the name of a city, like Athens or Rome or something." Tanna said.

Charlotte stopped for a moment and heard voices from outside and one was very familiar. She followed Tanna out. "Paris?" She said.

"Yeah, that's it!" Tanna exclaimed.

"How shocked are you?" Paris smiled at Charlotte.

"Uh..." Charlotte said. "Rory!" She called.

"What?" Rory called back.

"Come meet our new suitemate!" Charlotte smirked.

Rory came out and stopped when she saw Paris. "Paris?"

"How shocked are you?"

"Do you have a resuscitator?" Rory joked.

"I'm going to Yale!" Paris smiled.

"You're going to Yale..."

"And we're all suitemates."

"Of all the gin joints." Charlotte joked.

"Give me a hug!" She exclaimed. "Wait." She said glancing back at the man she was with who nodded. "Give me a hug!" She said giving Rory a hug and then hugging Charlotte.

"This is a massively big surprise." Rory said.

"I was going to call and then I thought, hey, let's wait and just be right in their faces." Paris said.

"I can't even feel my face anymore." Rory said.

"This is a good thing." Paris said.

"No, well yes, it's definitely a good thing. It's just, again, my nose..." Rory said.

"It's good to see you Paris." Charlotte smiled.

"Oh, this is Terrence." She finally introduced the man.

"Hello." Rory said.

"Hi!" Charlotte smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet you both." He smiled.

"Terrence is my life coach." Paris explained.

"Your what?" Rory asked.

"Don't judge."

"I'm not."

"Remember my nanny? I lost her over the summer." Paris said.

"Oh I'm sorry, what happened?" Rory asked.

"She opened a pupuseria in Boise." Paris said.

"So she's ok?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yeah, but I was pretty lost. Then my rabbi conferred with my therapist who said a hypnotist he knew thought a life coach would be right for me and that led me to Terrence. He's here to assist me with whatever I need assistance in, from wardrobe to diet to finding me a kick-ass gynecologist." She said.

"That's great, Paris, thanks." Rory smiled.

"He's done so much for my people skills. I can cope with the little annoyances now." She said. "How's your face?"

"Better, thanks." Rory said.

"Is that my room?" She asked.

"If your initials are P.G., it is." Rory said, causing Paris to disappear inside.

"Lucky you, sharing with Paris." Charlotte smirked.

"God help me." Rory sighed.

* * *

After Lorelai had returned and found out about Paris, Luke suddenly appeared at the door. "This the place?" He asked.

"This is the place." Lorelai nodded but then noticed that he was pulling the mattresses in. "Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! Oh, hold it a minute! You can't bring those in here!"

"Well, I'm not taking it back out." He said. He then smiled at Charlotte and Rory who looked amused. "Hi."

"Hey Luke." Charlotte grinned.

"No, we're unloading bags and boxes first!" Lorelai said.

"Look, that Tess already had her antennae up about the mattresses and she wouldn't stop watching me so I had to do something!" He said.

"Well, wait until she's gone and then bring it back out." Lorelai exclaimed.

"Give him a rest, mom!" Charlotte laughed. "These could actually be quite useful." She said. "Bring them in Luke."

"Thanks." Luke said pulling them in. "I'll go wait outside."

"Fine." Lorelai sighed helping her daughters with the mattresses.

After they had finished unpacking, the three of them walked out of the dorm towards the exit.

"Anything else you need, you'll write it down, ok?" Lorelai said.

"We've got more than we need. Stuff we don't need." Charlotte reassured her.

"It's all necessary stuff." Lorelai defended.

"The disco ball?" Rory smirked.

"You can't host your much-anticipated Salute to Barry White Night without a disco ball." Lorelai said.

"I forgot we were anticipating that. Where's Luke?" She asked.

"He's already out at the truck. So, this is it." Lorelai said stopping by the exit and turning to them.

"This is really it." Rory nodded.

"Learn a lot of stuff." Lorelai said.

"We'll try." Charlotte said.

"You'll be frequent visitors?"

"We'll be frequent visitors." Rory said.

"You can use the washer and the dryer." Lorelai joked.

"We don't need any inducement." Rory smiled softly.

"Good." Lorelai said softly, smiling at them both.

"But don't you get rid of that washer and dryer." Charlotte joked.

"I won't." Lorelai laughed. She then hugged them both. "Bye."

"Bye, Mom." Rory said quietly.

"Bye, Mom." Charlotte smiled.

They watched her leave before slowly turning back to their dorm. Charlotte watched Rory disappear into her room, without saying anything. She sighed and followed her, finding her sat on her bed.

"You ok?" She asked.

Rory turned back. "It's silly! She's just left and I'm already homesick."

"That's not silly." Charlotte assured her.

"It is! Why do I miss her so much?"

"Because she's the main person who's been there for us over the years. It would be confusing if we didn't miss her." Charlotte said.

"You miss her?" Rory asked.

"Yeah and I miss Jess but we can't think about that now. We'll see them soon." She said. "Hey, I have an idea! How about we have a party in our suite tonight? A little welcoming thing for our block. Could be fun." Charlotte smiled.

"I don't know..." Rory said.

"Come on! We can make some new friends and distract ourselves." Charlotte said.

Rory smiled slightly. "Yeah ok." She said.

"Great!" Charlotte grinned.

* * *

That evening the party was in full progress. Charlotte smiled as she saw Rory chatting and laughing with some girls from the block. Just then her cell phone rang, signalling that the ice cream had arrived. She went outside and collected it.

"Well of all the places I could run into you..." A familiar voice said.

Charlotte turned round and grinned at Tristan. "Hey! You made it!" She said giving him a hug.

"I made it. And I heard that there was one rocking party going on down here." He joked.

"Well you heard right. Come on in, Rory's just in here." Charlotte smiled leading him into their dorm. "Hey Ror, look who I found roaming the hallways."

Rory turned round and her face lit up. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey." He smiled giving her a kiss. "Oh hey Paris!" He said spotting Paris sat on the couch.

"DuGrey." She nodded.

"Paris is here?" Tristan whispered in her ear.

"Yep. Was a surprise to us as well." Rory whispered back. "Here, come have some food." She smiled leading him to the food.

Charlotte smiled as she watched the two of them grab some food and then sit down, snuggled up together. She watched them for a moment before reaching for her cell in her pocket and slowly disappearing into her room. She dialled a familiar number.

"So you haven't forgotten me then?" A familiar voice drawled on the other end.

Charlotte grinned. "Not yet!" She said. "How's your day been?"

"Busy." Jess said. "Diner's been packed and because Luke somehow ended up going to Yale, I was on my own for a lot of the day."

"Yeah sorry about that. I don't think he trusted mom with the truck." Charlotte laughed.

"Kind of gathered that." Jess smirked. "So how is it?"

"Yeah it's good." She smiled. "We're having a party to get to know our block. Tristan's jut arrived as well."

"Sounds nice." He said.

"And you'll never guess who one of our suitemates are." Charlotte smirked.

"Who?"

"Paris!"

"You're kidding!" He laughed.

"Nope! Apparently she's going to Yale." She grinned.

"Fun." Jess smirked.

Charlotte sighed, hearing laughter coming from outside. "I really miss you though."

"I miss you too." Jess said.

"I'll see you on Friday though." She smiled.

"Yeah, I was trying to forget about that." Jess joked.

"It's either this Friday or the next. My grandparents won't give up." Charlotte smirked. "Sorry."

"It's cool. I'll be there." He said.

"I better get back out there. Speak tomorrow?" She said.

"Speak tomorrow." He nodded. "Enjoy the party. And don't forget to flash that ring at any guys who try and hit on you." He smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "Oh I've been showing it to everyone anyway!"

"Good." Jess said.

"Bye Jess." She smiled softly.

"Bye." He said.

Charlotte sighed as they hung up. She got up and went back out to the communal area. She saw Rory and Tristan still sat together chatting. She was surprised to see Paris actually conversing with some people as well. She then spotted Tanna sat by herself, looking out of place. Charlotte watched her for a moment, feeling sorry for her, before walking over and sitting next to her. "This seat taken?" She asked.

Tanna looked at her in surprise. "No."

"Great!" Charlotte smiled at her and got a smile in return.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai finally entered the Crap Shack after having spent some time at the inn. She had procrastinated coming back because she knew it would feel empty and too quietly. She slowly walked into the living room, looking round, and sighed. It was as she predicted. She was about to collapse on the couch when the doorbell rang. Confused, she got up and opened the door and was surprised to see Luke standing there with some take out bags from Luke's.

"Figured you might like some company tonight. Caesar's handling the early deliveries tomorrow morning so I can stay over if you like." Luke smiled at her.

Lorelai didn't say anything and just went forward and hugged him. "Yeah I'd like that." She said softly. "Thanks."

 **So I hope you liked it! Sorry there was a bit of a delay but I've been at my Grandma's so haven't had a lot of time to write! Let me know what you think by continuing to leave reviews! Thanks! :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Thanks for you support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 34

"Hey, you know what's great about you both going off to college?" Lorelai said as she entered her daughters' suite.

"Our newfound independence?" Charlotte grinned.

"Oh, no. My new batch of youth-oriented catalogues. For example, where on Earth could I put this fabulous purple flowered rug? It's so young and cool but doesn't really go with my room, so..." Lorelai grinned.

"Ooh my room!" Rory grinned.

"Hey!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"You snooze, you lose!" Rory grinned.

"The matching beanbag chair arrives next week." Lorelai joked.

"I love it when you miss us." Charlotte laughed.

"So, Sookie sent marshmallow cookies, Luke sent muffins and I got you a copy of the Stars Hollow Gazette." She said handing the gazette to Rory. "Oh and Jess told me to give you this." Lorelai handed a new sketchbook to her. "Apparently he saved up to get this special one you wanted."

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah this was the one I wanted." She said softly. "Although, I'm not sure how he will feel about me after dinner with Grandma and Grandpa." She sighed.

"Nah, nothing will scare Jess away." Rory reassured her.

"I hope you're right." Charlotte sighed.

"Hey, you want to grab some coffee before I head back?" Lorelai asked.

"Can't." Rory asked.

"Why?"

"It's shopping week." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it always?" Lorelai asked.

"The first week of school is called shopping week. You get to try out as many classes as you want before you pick the ones you want to stick with for the semester. I picked over fifty classes I'm going to try out, plus another ten I'm going to squeeze in if I have the time. They all sound completely amazing. I stayed up all night reading the class subscriptions over and over." Rory said enthusiastically.

"And for some reason, I offered to go with her to some of them." Charlotte said.

"Well I guess I'll see you two on Friday then." Lorelai said.

"Yep." Rory said.

* * *

Rory and Charlotte walked into an empty classroom and sat down.

"Oh god, we are really early aren't we?" Charlotte groaned.

"We're not that early." Rory defended.

"So when does it start?" Charlotte asked.

"Half past." Rory admitted.

"So we're 45 minutes early? Great!" Charlotte said sitting down.

They sat in silence for a bit before Rory sighed. "Ok, let's go grab a coffee and then come back." She relented.

"Good plan!" Charlotte said getting up with her. She burst out laughing when Rory immediately sat right back down when the door opened another student walked in. "What are you doing?" She said.

"Just sit back down." Rory whispered.

Charlotte smirked and sat back down. She looked over at the guy who had sat down awkwardly as well. "Hi!" Charlotte smiled.

"Hi." He nodded.

"So are you an early bird too?" She smirked.

"Charlie!" Rory exclaimed embarrassed.

The guy chuckled. "Guess I am, yeah." He said.

"Guess you're not the only one then, Ror!" Charlotte joked.

"Shut up." She grumbled.

* * *

Rory walked into her suite later that afternoon after she'd tried out another class to find the common room completely redecorated. She found Tanna and Charlotte sat on the couch. "Where did all this come from?" She asked.

"What?" Tanna asked.

"This, the furniture, the couch, the chairs, the rug." Rory said.

"I don't know. It must have been here when I got back." Tanna shrugged before getting up and going into her room.

Rory looked at Charlotte. "Did she really not notice?"

"Nope." Charlotte smirked. "But you'll never guess who I had a phone call from."

"Who?"

"Grandma." Charlotte said. "This was all her. She thought it would give us control of the room."

"Are you serious?" Rory said. "Great." She muttered sitting down next to her.

"I know." Charlotte said. "I'm still waiting for Paris to see it. That'll be fun."

Rory groaned. "Great!"

"Anyway, how were your other classes?" Charlotte asked.

"Some were really good, others not so much." Rory said.

"Cool." Charlotte said. "Fancy going to get a coffee?"

"Sorry, I said I was going to meet up with Tristan." Rory said sheepishly. "You're welcome to join us if you want."

Charlotte sighed. "No it's cool. Go enjoy some time with him."

"Are you still worried about the dinner?" Rory asked.

"I just don't want them to scare him away. Remember that dinner with Dean. Grandpa interrogated him." She pointed out.

"Yeah but that didn't scare Dean off, did it? Charlie, nothing is going to scare Jess off. He loves you. You're engaged! It'll be fine." Rory smiled. "And hey, I'll be there to back you up. And mom."

Charlotte sighed but gave her a small smile. "Thanks Ror."

"See you later?"

"Yeah. Have a good time with Tristan."

* * *

The following day, Rory was on the couch in the common room when Paris walked in. "Did you hear?" She said.

"Hear what?" Rory said.

"The first party of the year is going to be on our floor." Paris said excitedly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Technically, it's to celebrate the first week of classes. The important thing is that this party, the first party, is going to be on our floor. Our floor."

"Yes, our floor."

"Anyhow, the way it works is that anyone who wants to be apart of the party will just leave their door open so people can just wander in and out. So what do you think?" Paris said.

"About what?" Rory asked.

"Leaving our door open. It's the perfect opportunity to solidify our social standing at Yale. It'll virtually guarantee invitations to every other party thrown this year, and we'll get our faces in people's heads."

"I don't know."

"What, what don't you know? I've explained the entire thing to you."

"Well, I'm not sure I want to leave our door open to a bunch of strangers." Rory said.

"Well, they won't be strangers once they come in and say howdy." Paris said.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how I'm going to feel that night. I might be tired."

"For god's sakes, Grandpa, you're eighteen. Sleep when you're dead!"

"Look, we can still go to the party. We can meet people, you can solidify your social status, get your face in people's heads, and I can bail when I feel like it." Rory sighed.

"Going isn't the same. Going is passive. Opening your door, you are giving the party. You are responsible for the fun. People owe you. Don't you want people to owe you?"

"I'm good, actually."

"Oh, sure, you're good. You're fine. After all, you have all this fancy furniture and a big TV to lord over people. It's the rest of us who are screwed, the ones whose grandparents hadn't thought to provide suck-up furniture!" Paris snapped.

"This is not suck-up furniture!"

"You're being selfish. You don't care about anybody but yourself!"

"Paris..."

"No! I hate college!" Paris exclaimed storming into their room.

"What was that about?" Charlotte asked coming out of her room.

"Urgh nothing." Rory said.

"Didn't sound like nothing." She said.

Rory sighed. "Paris wants to open the door for this party tonight. And she went crazy when I said no."

"Why did you say no?" Charlotte asked.

"Seriously?" Rory said.

"What? A party could be fun." She shrugged.

"I don't want a bunch of strangers in our suite." Rory said.

"Well they won't be strangers for long. We could meet some new friends." Charlotte said.

"I just don't feel comfortable with it." Rory shrugged.

Charlotte sighed. "Ok look, I know you're not really the party type but I think it would be nice to meet new people. I've been so bored lately. You've got Tristan. It'd be nice to make some friends."

Rory sighed. "Ok fine!" She relented.

"Yes!" Paris shouted from their bedroom.

"This isn't for you!" Rory called.

"Like I care about the reason!" Paris shouted.

"See what you've done." Rory raised her eyebrows at Charlotte.

"Sorry." She smirked.

* * *

Charlotte smirked as she watched Paris walk through the party like the perfect hostess. "Wow, she really is trying!" She said sitting down next to Rory.

"She's like a new Paris." Rory agreed.

"Nice party." Charlotte commented.

"Alright, you don't need to rub it in." Rory said.

"Rub what in?"

"The fact that I was wrong and you were right."

"Well..." Charlotte grinned.

"Second party in one week. You girls will get a reputation." A voice said.

"Hey!" Rory grinned at Tristan.

"Hey." He smiled.

"I'll leave you to it." Charlotte said getting up.

"Oh you don't need to..." Rory said.

"It's cool." Charlotte said, wandering off.

Rory sighed watching her walk off.

"Is she ok?" Tristan asked sitting down where Charlotte had been.

"She's missing Jess." Rory said.

"Oh." He said understanding.

Charlotte wandered round the room. She sighed when all her roommates were conversing with people so she headed outside into the hallway.

"Charlotte!" A familiar voice called.

"Oh my god! Madeline, Louise, what are you doing here?" Charlotte laughed, happy to see some familiar faces.

"Party, baby!" Louise grinned giving her a hug.

"I thought you were supposed to be at Mills." Charlotte asked Madeline.

"Where?"

"Mills?"

"Where?"

"No more Mills?" Charlotte smirked.

"Mills went bye-bye before I unpacked my shoes." Madeline said.

"She's been hanging out at Tulane with me." Louise said.

"I love New Orleans. I am so southern."

"So what are you doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"We went online and found out where all the first week of class parties were, and we're making the rounds." Louise smiled.

"We hit Harvard next." Madeline said.

"That's where my boyfriend goes." Louise said.

"Oh, you're dating a Harvard man?" Charlotte asked.

"He's going to be a writer." Madeline said.

"Well, he hopes. Right now, he's totally freaked that The Simpsons are going to be off the air by the time he graduates." Louise said.

"Well, it's good to see you guys." Charlotte smiled. "Rory and Tristan are inside and Paris is around here somewhere."

"I hope she's in back of that guy over there because that's where I'm heading." Madeline said heading over to a guy.

"Oh, we'll be back." Louise said following Madeline.

"So much for that Harvard man." Charlotte smirked watching them. She looked around and suddenly saw the same guy who had arrived early for the class she had gone to with Rory. She noticed he was standing alone awkwardly, leaning against the wall. She walked over to him. "Hi."

"Oh hi." He said.

"You arrive early to this as well?" She joked.

He smirked. "No. I'm not really a party guy but thought I'd check this out at least."

"I'm Charlotte by the way." She smiled.

"Marty." He smiled.

Charlotte sighed and leant against the wall with him. "I encouraged my sister to let our roommate throw this party but now I'm sort of regretting it." She admitted.

"How come?" He asked.

"I don't know. My sister's busy with her boyfriend, my roommates have managed to actually make some new friends so they're all busy and I find myself all alone not knowing what to do." She said.

"Well...you're not alone now." Marty pointed out.

"True." She said. She looked around at all these couples kissing. "Urghh, how can people just hook up after minutes off knowing each other?" She exclaimed.

"You're against kissing now?" Marty joked.

Charlotte sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm just in a mood. I miss my boyfriend." She admitted. "Well fiance actually." She corrected.

"Wow, fiance huh?" He said surprised.

"Yeah..." Charlotte said.

"Would never have guessed that you were engaged." Marty commented.

"Why?" She said defensively.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like this. You're just...young." He said. He sighed. "Sorry, when I'm nervous I say things I don't mean."

Charlotte smirked slightly. "It's fine. We're not planning on getting married straight away but we wanted to show people we were committed."

"Sounds like he's quite a guy." Marty said.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah. He's great." She said softly. "How about you? Got a girlfriend you're missing? Come on, give me something so that I don't feel so pathetic for wallowing in my own self pity." She joked.

He laughed. "No girlfriend. But I guess I miss home a bit. Me and my brother are quite close so I guess I miss him a bit." He said.

Charlotte smirked. "Your try to cheer me up totally sucks." She said.

"Did it work?"

She laughed. "Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled.

Suddenly they heard shouting from inside. "Ok, everybody out, now! This room is closed! Take your gross beer and your inane conversations somewhere else. Move!" Paris shouted from inside.

"What's going on?" Marty asked.

"I don't know. Looks like my roommate's kicking everybody out." Charlotte said. "Come on." She said leading him over to Rory and Tristan who had appeared. "What's going on?" She asked them.

"The old Paris is back." Rory smirked. "She's kicking everyone out."

"Huh. Feels kind of good to have her back, doesn't it?" Charlotte smirked.

"Oh yeah." Rory nodded. "She was freaking me out."

Charlotte turned to Marty. "Guess the party's over. Sorry."

"It's cool." He laughed.

"Thanks for humouring me though." She smiled.

"No problem." He smirked.

"See you around?"

"Sure." Marty nodded.

"Cool." Charlotte smiled watching him head upstairs.

"Was that the guy from the class this morning?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, his name's Marty." Charlotte nodded.

"You guys were hanging out?" Rory questioned surprised.

"Yeah, we were both at odds so we got talking. He's cool." She said. "Anyway, I'm going to head to bed. Night."

"Ok. Night." Rory said watching her sister head back into the suite.

* * *

Later that night, Charlotte woke up in the middle of the night. She headed out to go to the bathroom when she suddenly heard a sound outside in the hallway. She walked out of her suite and was surprised to find Marty, naked on the floor asleep. She poked him with his foot which managed to wake him up.

"Oh hi." He said embarrassed.

"Hi." Charlotte smirked.

"I'm on the floor." He said.

"You were sleeping." Charlotte nodded.

"I have no clothes on." Marty said.

"I noticed that. I thought you said you weren't a party guy." She joked.

"I'm not. But I must have had a couple of drinks and well...here I am...

"Here you are." She smirked.

"Oh god, I'm on the girls' floor aren't I? Which means I must be on the..." He cringed.

"On the wrong floor, yeah." Charlotte said.

"Oh boy."

"Where's your room?"

"I think up. Are we on the first floor?" Marty asked.

"Yeah."

"Then up. Any idea how long I've been here?" He asked.

"No sorry."

"So you have no idea how many people have walked by while I've..." He groaned.

"Sorry." Charlotte said.

"Great. Now for the rest of my time at Yale, I'm going to be the naked guy." Marty sighed.

"I'm sorry." She smirked.

"Ok at least pretend to act like you're not enjoying this." He said.

"Sorry." She smirked. "For what it's worth, it's been really quiet out here for a while now so there's a chance that no one but me has actually seen you yet."

"Yeah?" He said hopefully.

"I promise I won't say anything. And if there's a chance that you could refrain from, you know, being naked again in the wrong hallway at the next party then there's a chance you might get a completely different nickname, like the never-naked guy." Charlotte joked.

"Thanks. You're making me feel a lot better." He smirked, starting to stand up.

"Wait, hold on! Here, you can borrow this for now." Charlotte said taking off his robe and handing it to him.

"Thanks." He said putting it on. "I probably won't remember this tomorrow." He said.

"Oh you will!" Charlotte nodded.

"What?"

"Well you'll have me reminding you about it!" She grinned.

"Great, thanks." Marty said dryly. "So I should probably try and find my room. And my pants, because that's where I kept my keys." He realised.

"So pants first." Charlotte said. "Huh, that's something I never thought I'd say."

"Right, pants first." Marty smirked.

"Night." Charlotte smirked.

"Night." He sighed disappearing upstairs.

* * *

Friday evening soon came and Charlotte and Rory were getting ready to head over to their grandparents' when there was a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Charlotte asked heading towards the door.

"Nope." Rory said.

Charlotte opened the door and was surprised to see Jess there. "What are you...Hi!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hey." He smirked. "Figured I'd give you a lift to your grandparents."

"You drove all the way here just to drive me to the dinner?" Charlotte asked.

"Yup." He said. "Is that ok?"

"Are you kidding?" Charlotte grinned giving him a hug and then giving him a kiss. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Jess said. "So are you ready?"

"Oh wait, Rory and I were going to go together..." She said glancing over at her sister.

"It's cool. You two go. I'll drive myself." Rory smiled knowing how much Charlotte had missed Jess.

"You sure?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, you go."

"Thanks! We'll see you there." Charlotte smiled before following Jess out. They bumped into Marty as they left. "Oh hey!" Charlotte said. "Did you find your clothes?" She smirked.

"Yeah thankfully. Serves me right for letting my roommate pressure me into drinking." Marty said.

"Sure." Charlotte nodded.

"You're never going to let me forget this are you?" Marty said.

"Nope!" She grinned. "Oh Marty, this is Jess. Jess this is Marty." She introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Marty said holding out his hand.

"Yeah, you too." Jess said suspiciously. "So you two are friends?" He asked.

"Well we only met this week but he helped me get through a party without getting too bored." Charlotte smiled.

"Huh." Jess said.

"So do you go to Yale too?" Marty asked Jess, trying to make conversation even though Jess was staring at him intently.

"No." Jess said.

Charlotte glanced at him and noticed the tension. "Oh no, Marty, this is Jess. He's my fiance." She explained.

"Oh! The fiance. Well it's really nice to meet you." Marty said. "Charlotte mentioned you yesterday."

"She did?" Jess asked surprised, feeling himself relaxing a bit.

"Yeah, she was missing you. That's why we hung out yesterday. I tried to cheer her up but I think I failed. Well until last night." He said smirking slightly.

Charlotte laughed. "You did cheer me up." She said. "Anyway, we better get going. See you around, Marty."

"Yeah see you." Marty smiled.

Charlotte led Jess away towards the car park. "So he seems nice..." Jess said.

"Yeah he is." She nodded. She glanced at him and smirked. "Stop being jealous."

"I'm not jealous." He said.

"You so are!" Charlotte laughed. "Jess, relax. Marty's nice. But he's also just a friend. I told him about you straight away. He knows I'm taken."

Jess sighed. "Sorry. I guess I've just missed you, that's all. And then seeing you with a guy...But of course you're going to make friends. I'm just being crazy."

Charlotte smiled softly and kissed him. "I love you, Jess. I will always love you."

"I love you too." He smiled.

"Come on, we better get going." Charlotte said, getting in the car. When Jess got in, she glanced across at him. "Look, Jess...my grandparents, they're probably going to interrogate you and ask you question after question. I know you hate the attention being on you but I couldn't get out of this. And I know they get be intense and intimidating..." She rambled.

"Charlie, it's cool." Jess said.

"But..."

"They're not going to scare me away. I love you and I'm going to show them that." He said.

Charlotte smiled and leant across to kiss him. "Thanks." She said softly.

* * *

"There they are!" Emily exclaimed as she opened the door to see Lorelai, Rory, Charlotte and Jess on the front step. "Come on in!"

"Hi, Mom." Lorelai said.

"Hey Grandma." Charlotte smiled.

"And Jess, how nice of you to join us." Emily smiled sweetly.

"Thank you for inviting me." Jess said.

They all headed through to the living room where Richard was sat and where they were handed drinks.

"So you proposed to my granddaughter..." Richard said.

"Geez dad, we haven't even started eating yet." Lorelai joked.

"Yes I did." Jess nodded.

"And you think that is wise when you're both still young?" Richard questioned. "Charlotte has three years at Yale to complete. She doesn't want to have to think about wedding plans."

"Grandpa..." Charlotte tried but was interrupted by Jess.

"I know we're young but that's why we're going to wait to get married. I know Charlotte has three years at Yale and of course I don't want to do anything to take her away from her studies." Jess said calmly.

The maid then came in and announced dinner was ready so they all moved into the dining room and sat down.

"So why propose now when you know you won't get married straight away?" Richard kept on with her questioning.

"Because I love her." Jess said simply.

Charlotte was surprised at how calm he was staying. "He's right Grandpa. We want to show people we're committed. We love each other. We can't see life without each other." She said honestly.

"Well how will you support our granddaughter when you do get married?" Emily spoke for the first time. "What are you plans for the future?"

"Well I'm resitting my last year at high school." Jess said.

"Why do you have to resit it?" Richard asked.

"Because I messed up last year but I'm trying to do the right thing now. I know graduating from high school is important." Jess said.

"Who hasn't made mistakes, dad?" Lorelai quipped in. "Jess realises that and is correcting it now."

"Well what college are you thinking of going to?" Richard asked.

"I'm not going to college." He said.

Charlotte held her breath as that sunk in.

"You're not going to college." Richard repeated. "May I ask why?"

"It's not for me." Jess replied.

"How will you support Charlotte then? You need a degree to get a good job." Emily said.

"I am earning money at the moment. I'm working at the diner and I'm also part of a band and we're trying to get gigs at the moment." Jess said. "And as for my plans for the future, I want to write a book." He admitted.

"You do?" Charlotte asked surprised. Jess had only ever told Luke that.

"Yeah I do. I've always wanted to." Jess nodded.

"You want to write a book?" Richard asked surprised but also somewhat impressed.

"Yes sir. And I'm determined to make it work." He nodded.

"And what if it doesn't?" Emily said.

"Then I will think of something else." Jess said. "But I can assure you that whatever happens, my first priority will always be looking after Charlotte. I love your granddaughter and I would never let anything happen to her."

"I love him too." Charlotte said smiling softly at him. "Grandma, Grandpa, please! I know this has come to a shock but we've thought about this. We really have. We're not getting married straight away but we know we want to be with each other the rest of our lives. And nothing you say is going to stop that. But it would mean a lot to get your blessing." She said. "Please."

Emily and Richard exchanged a glance.

"Well it does seem like you have thought this through." Richard said.

"We have." Charlotte said.

"Well then I guess nothing more should be said about it. We should enjoy our dinner." Richard said.

"I'm sorry, is that an ok? Are you giving us your blessing?" Charlotte asked.

"I think you have made it clear that whatever we say, you'll just do what you want anyway." Richard said smiling slightly.

"Grandpa..."

"I do appreciate your honesty though." He told Jess.

"Thank you." Jess said.

"Grandma?" Charlotte asked.

Emily sighed. "Well I'm not going to lie, I'm not over the moon about this but you seem determined to do this and what grandmother wouldn't support their granddaughter."

"Thank you." Charlotte said relieved, exchanging a smile with Jess.

"Dad's right. Let's eat." Lorelai smiled.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were staying in Stars Hollow that night after the dinner so they all drove back together. Charlotte stopped Jess outside the diner as Lorelai and Rory went inside.

"What's up?" Jess asked.

Charlotte just smiled and put her arms round him and kissed him. "Nothing." She said softly. "You were amazing today."

"I only told the the truth." Jess shrugged.

"Well I could tell they were impressed and that's hard to do." Charlotte said. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad that's over." He said smirking slightly.

"God, me too!" Charlotte laughed, leaning in to kiss him again. "I love you Mr Mariano." She smiled.

"I love you too future Mrs Mariano." He smirked.

 **Hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading them and I really do appreciate them so thank you! :)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Nancy, I appreciate your review and I promise you I've got things planned so would love for you to keep with me. :)**

Chapter 35

Lorelai was sitting out front of the Crap Shack on the grass when Rory and Charlotte pulled up for a quick home visit. They exchanged amused glances when they saw what their mom was doing.

"Hey." Rory smiled.

"Hi." Lorelai grinned.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte smirked.

"I'm gardening." Lorelai answered.

"I'm sorry, what are you doing?" Rory teased.

"I'm gardening." She repeated.

"Sorry, what are...?" Charlotte grinned.

"Why don't you come over here and see since you seem so confused?" Lorelai said.

"Oh my god, you are gardening!" Rory grinned.

"Yeah!" Lorelai said.

"Why?" Charlotte smirked.

"Because Babette bought me a bag of bulbs." Lorelai sighed.

"Why would she do that?" Rory asked.

"She thought that cultivating new life would help distract me from my current emptiness and sense of loss."

"Huh. Well, that's weirdly sweet of her." Rory said.

"Yes, it was. Anyhow, I forgot about the bulbs until Babette brought them up this morning so I dug them out of the garage." Lorelai said showing them.

"Ew!" Rory screwed up her face.

"They seem to have developed some sort of mould." Lorelai grimaced.

"Help me." Lorelai begged.

"Mom, we're not exactly botanists. Why didn't you ask Luke? He's into outdoorsy stuff." Charlotte said.

"He doesn't do gardening. He's just into camping and fishing."

"Hey, doll, how you doing?" Babette suddenly called from her porch.

"Great, Babette. Just tending my bulbs!" Lorelai smiled.

"Makes you feel better, doesn't it?"

"Absolutely! Much better."

"You need any help?" She asked.

"Oh, no. I've got the girls helping me." Lorelai said.

"Hi, Babette!" Rory smiled.

"Hi, Babette!" Charlotte grinned.

"Hi, sugars. Don't worry, I'm looking out for your mom."

"We're glad to hear that." Charlotte smirked as Babette went back into her house.

"Anyway, how's school?" Lorelai asked them.

"Don't ask." Charlotte shook her head.

"School's fine. It's hard but good. Tanna's fine. Janet and Paris are fighting because Janet gets up at 5:30 to go jogging, wakes Paris up, and then the resulting argument wakes everybody up." Rory explained.

"Oh dear..." Lorelai said.

"They literally argue all day. It's doing my head in!" Charlotte groaned.

"You don't have to room with Paris though." Rory pointed out.

"Good point." Charlotte said.

"I admit defeat." Lorelai sighed flinging the bulbs on the floor. "Let's go get some coffee."

"Sounds good." Rory said.

"Let's go." Charlotte smiled.

* * *

The following week, Lorelai walked into the diner. "Hey Luke!" She smiled. "How's it going?"

"Oh, well...Tom called. The banister on the stairs has to be replaced. It'll be $4,000. Tamsin Cordally called. He needs a deposit on the quartersawn oak. It'll be $4,000. Julio the landscaper called. I have no idea what he said but it's going to be $4,000. Vicki from Vicki's Horse Supply called. She thinks Pepper and Gunsmoke would suit your needs, but Gunsmoke snores, so the stables can't be too close to the guests' bedrooms. Rory's looking for her black Converse, Charlotte's looking for her special paints and oh, one last thing...I'm not taking messages for you anymore!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry." Lorelai smiled sheepishly.

"What did you do, have business cards printed up?" Luke asked.

"People just know I'm here a lot. Especially since we've started dating."

"I missed a call from my meat guy because I was on the phone discussing Gunsmoke's deviated septum."

"I'm going to call all these people today and tell them never to call me here again!" Lorelai said.

"You bet you will." Luke said.

"Consider it done." She grinned.

"Good." Luke grumbled.

"Just..."

"What?" He groaned.

"Just...uh...one more thing. Did a package arrive for me here today?" She asked guiltily

"What?" Luke exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. Never mind!" She said quickly. "Hey, I have an idea that might cheer you up. Tomorrow night is usually movie night." She said.

"Ok?"

"Well Rory, Charlotte and I would always rent a bunch of movies and order food. It was our thing. Now they're at school and busy, so why don't you come over? It might be fun." Lorelai said. "Plus we haven't had a proper date in ages."

"I thought they were coming back for the weekend?" He said.

"They were but now Rory's doing something with Tristan and Charlotte's hanging out with Naked Guy tonight so there's no point." She said.

"Naked guy?" Luke frowned.

"Her new friend, Marty." Lorelai explained.

"Oh.." Luke said.

"So what do you say? Want to come over for a date?" She grinned.

Luke smiled. "Sure."

"Yeah?" Lorelai said happily.

"Sure, what else have I got to do?" He said.

"Ah, I love when men say that to me." She teased.

"What time?" He smirked.

"Eight."

"Eight it is."

"I'll stop by the video store and pick us up a couple movies. What do you want to see?" She asked.

"Surprise me." He said dryly.

"I don't want to get something you've seen." Lorelai said.

"Don't worry about it. I haven't seen anything." He said.

"Casablanca?"

"Nope."

"Chinatown?"

"No."

"Bonnie and Clyde?"

"Just get anything." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Wow! My house, eight o'clock. We have such work to do." She joked.

"I'll see you there." He nodded.

"Oh, by the way, if my package arrives today, bring it with you, ok? Thanks." She said quickly before rushing out.

* * *

Rory was in her bedroom getting ready for her date night with Tristan while Charlotte and Tanna sat on her bed.

"Ok, so this is option number four." She said.

"Nice." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks. What do you think Tanna?" She asked. "Tanna?" She repeated when she didn't answer.

"Yeah?" Tanna said.

"We're doing the whole bonding thing now." Charlotte smirked. "Rory wants your opinion on her outift.

"Oh! Sorry." Tanna said. "It's nice."

"Think you've found your outfit, sis." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." Rory said.

"Roommates meeting starts in two minutes!" Paris said coming in.

"We'll be right out, Paris." Rory sighed. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before following the others out to the communal area.

"Tristan will be here in ten minutes, so talk fast." Rory said.

"Yeah I'm going to Marty's in 15 minutes as well." Charlotte said.

"Thank you all for coming. Now, I'd like to start this meeting by saying that no one here is on trial. This meeting is about healing, it is about redemption, it is about accepting responsibility and making amends." Paris said.

"I don't believe this." Janet shook her head.

"This is a forum for all of us to air our grievances so we can resolve them and go on with our lives. Hey, since I'm already standing, why don't I start?" She said. "Setting your alarm for 5:30 in the morning when no one else here shares the desire to put on nylon shorts and run in circles for an hour like a greyhound is selfish."

"To be fair, Paris, Janet does have a partial athletic scholarship." Charlotte pointed out.

"Thank you!" Janet exclaimed.

"The grunting and the sweating and there are plastic balls everywhere!" Paris exclaimed.

"One balance ball." Charlotte quipped. She felt a nudge from Rory. "What?" She said turning to her.

"You're enjoying this." Rory whispered.

"So?" Charlotte grinned.

"No one can sleep. No one can breathe. Rory missed breakfast the other day and because she was late, so was Charlotte. You've seen them eat. They cannot miss breakfast." Paris said.

"Paris has a point there." Rory said.

"Excuse me, but if I remember correctly, Rory missed breakfast because you turned her alarm off." Janet said.

"That's true. And that's why she didn't wake me up in time."

"And while we're airing grievances, what about your stupid craft area? Everywhere you turn, there's glitter or seashells or macaroni. And the smell of the glue." Janet said.

"Hey, I make things we can all enjoy. I am contributing. The coasters I make are for everyone. Those push-ups are for you and you alone." Paris defended.

"I vote we get rid of craft corner."

"No, that's my emotional homework!" Paris exclaimed.

"Ok, let's just all calm down for a second." Rory sighed.

"No. I cannot calm down. I have tried to be reasonable. I have told myself over and over, 'God, look at her. Imagine what she's been through to make her turn out like that.'" Janet said. "But you're impossible! And frankly, I'm just sick of your constant negativity!"

"You're on steroids, aren't you? That's what's behind this obsessive behaviour." Paris accused.

"This is better than tv." Charlotte smirked.

Just then there was a knock on the door. "That's my cue." Rory said relieved going over to open the door.

"Hey." Tristan smiled giving her a kiss.

"Hey." Rory smiled.

"You ready to go?" He asked.

"Just one second. We're finishing up a roommates meeting." Rory sighed gesturing to Paris and Janet who were now standing nose to nose.

"I'll race you." Paris suddenly said.

"What?" Rory said.

"To Hewitt Quad and back. I win, no alarm before seven a.m. You win, I move my crafts area into Rory's and my room." Paris said.

"Whoa, hang on a minute!" Rory protested.

"Forget it. I am not going to race..." Janet said but was interrupted by Paris.

"On your mark, get set, go!" Paris said before running out of the room.

"Hey!" Janet exclaimed but followed her quickly.

"We should have these meetings more often!" Charlotte grinned.

"Let's hope not." Rory rolled her eyes. "Ok, I'm ready now. Let's go."

"After you." Tristan smirked.

* * *

Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai opened the front door to find Luke standing there with some take out bags. "Ah, man bearing bags of food. Come in." She grinned.

"I went a little overboard here." Luke said walking in through to the living room.

"No such thing." Lorelai said.

"I've got tons of fries, half a pumpkin pie. You got whipped cream here?"

"Always."

"And...uh...I wasn't sure what to do with the burgers because sometimes you order with double cheese, sometimes you don't, so I brought one with normal cheese and one with..." Luke was saying until he saw Chinese food containers on the table. "What did you do?" He asked.

"I ordered food." Lorelai called from the kitchen when she was getting them drinks.

"I said I'd bring food."

"So I can't contribute?"

"No. Just that I didn't need to bring food." He said.

"Well, I'm leftover girl. I'll have the burgers tonight and the Chinese food during the week." She smiled coming back in and handing him a beer.

"Then you just should have ordered the Chinese fresh tomorrow instead of tonight."

"I don't like fresh Chinese food. I like stale Chinese food."

"I give up." Luke shook his head sitting down.

"Ok. You are one click away from Casablanca." Lorelai grinned sitting down next to him.

"Start it up." He said.

"No! We need to get situated. Are you all situated?" She asked.

"I'm situated."

"You need to, like, squish around a little." Lorelai said showing him.

"I'm fine how I am."

"Ok, but you can't squish during the movie because it's distracting. That's rule number one." Lorelai told him.

"There are rules?" Luke asked turning to her.

"Oh yeah! Especially for a true classic like Casablanca. It's not like we're watching a there's-nothing-else-on movie or a guilty pleasure like Hardbodies. Oh wait, have you seen Hardbodies?" She asked.

"I don't think so."

"Three middle-aged guys rent a beach house and they hire this young local stud to introduce them to cute girls, a.k.a. Hardbodies." Lorelai told him.

"Let's see that then." Luke said.

"No Luke, we're seeing Casablanca!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Then let's see that."

"Ok, the rest of the rules, no talking during the movie. No exceptions during a true classic. And minimize distraction. You know, no shifting around a lot, no phone calls, nothing. No going to the bathroom. If you go, you miss the movie because we're not pausing the movie. That's the only way to get the flow of the thing, ok?" She said.

Luke looked at her in disbelief but just sighed. "Fair enough." He said.

"Ok. Here we go." Lorelai grinned, starting the movie and then immediately settling down and leaning her head on Luke's shoulder. She smiled when she felt Luke's arm go round her shoulders.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Yale, Rory and Tristan had walked into a restaurant.

"Hang onto this. We'll page you when the table's ready." The hostess smiled at them.

"Thank you." Tristan smiled. "So what do you think?" He asked Rory.

"Very nice. A riot of colour. Geeky but cool." Rory nodded.

"Good." Tristan smirked.

"Hey DuGrey!" A voice called.

Rory looked over to where the voice had come to and saw a group of guys already sat at a table.

"No way!" Tristan laughed and led Rory over. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I go to Yale now. I didn't know you were here too." The blonde haired guy said.

"Yeah I'm here. Oh, this is my girlfriend, Rory." Tristan introduced her. "Rory, this is my good friend, Logan."

"Nice to meet you." Rory smiled politely.

"You too." Logan smiled, looking Rory over. "How did you bag such a girl?" He smirked at Tristan, causing Rory to blush.

"It wasn't easy." Tristan laughed.

"Are you waiting for a table? You're welcome to join us if you like?" Logan said.

"Oh well..." Tristan said glancing at Rory.

"I don't mind." Rory shrugged.

"Great! Come sit here." Logan smiled at them, deliberately making room so that Rory could sit next to him.

"Thanks." Tristan smiled sitting down as well.

"Oh Rory, these are my friends Colin and Finn." Logan said.

"Hi." Rory smiled politely at them. She and Tristan started looking at the menu when she heard a whisper in her ear that made her shudder slightly.

"Anything you need to know about Tristan, I'm the man." Logan whispered. Rory turned to him and saw him smirking. "Just let me know if I can be of any assistance. I'll give you my room number if you want." He smirked.

Rory was taken aback. She glanced at Tristan who was still perusing the menu and wasn't paying attention to them. She didn't know what to say. Had her boyfriend's close friend just suggest she go to his room? "I think I'm ok, thanks." She said politely.

"Well if you change your mind, let me know." Logan gave her a charming smile.

"I'm fine." Rory repeated. She turned back to her menu to try and avoid his gaze.

"Hey, I'm just going to hand this back and order our food." Tristan said. "You guys ok for drinks?" He asked the others.

"We're good." Logan nodded.

"I'll be right back." Tristan smiled and got up to find the waitress.

"So how long have you known Tristan?" Rory asked trying to make some conversation and trying to forget how close she was to Logan. He seemed to have position himself closer to her.

* * *

As Rory was out at the restaurant, Charlotte had gone to Marty's and they were in the middle of watching a film.

"So are we even now?" Marty asked.

"What?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Well you saw me naked, I saw you in your pyjamas at breakfast. Both embarrassing." Marty said.

"I think being naked is more embarrassing." Charlotte laughed.

"I know but..." Marty said.

Charlotte smirked. "Ok we're even." She said.

"Good." He smirked.

"Thanks for inviting me tonight. I don't know how much more I could take of Paris and Janet arguing." Charlotte said.

"You're welcome." Marty laughed.

Just then, Charlotte's cell rang. "Oh sorry." She said pulling it out. "Oh it's my Jess call. Do you mind?" She asked.

"Not at all. Take it." Marty smiled.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled at him. "Hey!" She answered happily.

"Hey back." Jess said. "Guess what."

"What?"

"If you had decided to come back tonight, we'd have the apartment to ourselves." He said.

"Aww how come?" Charlotte asked.

"Luke's round at your mom's for some movie night thing." He told her.

"Oh yeah, she mentioned that. So what are you up to?" She asked.

"Studying."

"I'm sorry what?" Charlotte teased.

"Yeah ok! I know it's hard to imagine." Jess smirked.

"You're actually studying?" Charlotte grinned.

"Yep." He said.

"Aw well good!" She smiled.

"So what are you guys up to? How come you couldn't come home tonight?" He asked.

"Well Rory's out with Tristan. They haven't spent much time with each other lately so she wanted to make it up to him." She said. "And then Marty invited me to his to have a movie night and since I couldn't bare to stay in the apartment with Paris and Janet a minute longer, I said yes."

"I'm touched." Marty said dryly.

"You know what I mean!" Charlotte grinned at him.

"You're with Marty?" Jess asked after a minute.

"Yeah." Charlotte said.

"Oh." He said.

"What?" Charlotte frowned.

"Nothing."

"I know that voice, Jess. Something's up. What is it?"

"Nothing. Just that you seem to be spending a lot of time with Marty lately." He said.

"Well he's the only sane friend I have here..." Charlotte said slowly.

"Sure.."

"Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine." Jess said.

"Really? Because you sound..." Charlotte started.

"I've got to study." He said.

"Oh. Ok..."

"Speak tomorrow?"

"Uh..yeah...sure." Charlotte said.

"Ok bye." Jess said.

"Wait Jess!" Charlotte said. "Jess?" She said again but frowned as she heard the dialling tone.

"Everything ok?" Marty asked.

"I don't know." Charlotte admitted. "He just sort of rushed off. Like he couldn't get off the phone fast enough."

"Does he have a problem with you hanging out with me?" Marty asked cautiously.

"What? No!" Charlotte said.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! He knows you're a friend..." She said but started to think. She knew Jess had been jealous before. "Well if he does, he can't stop us hanging out. I'm allowed to have friends."

"I don't want to cause problems between the two of you..."

"You're not." Charlotte said firmly. "Now let's finish this movie."

"Ok." Marty sighed knowing better than to argue with her.

* * *

Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Luke had just finished Casablanca. "So what did you think?" She asked him.

"Pretty good." Luke nodded.

"Told you!" She grinned. They leant back on the couch and she turned to him. "This is nice huh?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Yeah it is." He said softly. "Very nice." He said leaning in to kiss her. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for coming." Lorelai smiled softly. "So what's Jess up to tonight?"

"Studying." Luke said.

"I'm sorry what?"

Luke smirked. "Yeah my response too. But he's actually been serious about school recently. He's actually trying."

"Well that's good then." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah." Luke smiled.

"So you want to watch Hardbodies next?" She grinned.

"Bring it on." He nodded.

* * *

After finished their meal, Tristan and Rory got up ready to leave. "Thanks for letting us crash your party." Tristan smirked.

"No problem!" Logan laughed giving him a handshake. "It was cool to catch up." He said.

"Yeah it was." Tristan smiled.

While Tristan said goodbye to Colin and Finn, Logan turned to Rory. "It was nice to meet you, Ace." He smiled.

"Ace?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Ace reporter." He smirked.

"You don't even know what my writing's like. I could be rubbish." She pointed out.

"Nah I really doubt that." Logan smirked. "So are you on the paper?"

"Yeah." Rory nodded.

"Is Tristan? I remember he used to enjoy writing." Logan said.

"No. He wanted to but he's doing a lot of other stuff so couldn't fit it in." She said.

"Fair enough." He said. "So I might see you in the newsroom then..."

"What?" She froze.

"I'm on the paper too." Logan smiled.

"You are? I've never seen you in there, once." Rory frowned.

"Well I never had any motive to go. Now I guess there is one..." He said, again using his charming smile.

Rory felt goosebumps on her skin but tried to ignore it. "You ready to go?" She turned to Tristan.

"Yep. Thanks again mate. See you around?" Tristan smiled at Logan.

"I hope so." Logan smiled. "Have a nice evening."

"You too." Tristan said before walking out with Rory.

Rory glanced back just before she left and saw Logan watching her. He gave her half a salute and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She shook herself out of her daze quickly though and followed Tristan out.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai was surprised when she heard the front door open and heard her daughters come in.

"Mom?" Rory called.

"Hey! Shh!" She said gesturing to Luke who had fallen asleep on the couch, covered with a blanket, as they came into the living room.

"Please tell us he didn't fall asleep during Casablanca." Charlotte smirked.

"No, we made it through Casablanca. He fell asleep during Hardbodies." Lorelai said.

"How do you fall asleep during a classic like Hardbodies?" Rory asked.

"There's no accounting for taste." Lorelai joked.

"Aw well he looks comfy there, doesn't he?" Charlotte smiled.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, he does." She said softly before leading them through to the kitchen. "So what's with the spontaneous visit?" She asked.

"Well we felt bad for bailing on you so thought we'd come after we'd finished." Rory said. "Better late than never right?"

"Of course." Lorelai smiled.

"Well I'm exhausted." Rory yawned. "So I might head to bed tonight."

"Yeah me too." Charlotte said. "Is Luke staying tonight?"

"Thought it would be mean to wake him up." Lorelai said hesitantly. She had always been sure to make sure Luke never stayed the night when the girls were there because she didn't want it to be awkward.

"You're going to leave him on the couch?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Well, yeah..."

"Why? That couch is so uncomfortable. You've got a comfy bed upstairs." She said.

"Ew Charlie!" Rory exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"What?" Charlotte laughed. "You're in a relationship. I know you've been careful about him staying the night while we're here but you're dating. So wake him up."

"I'm sorry, are you seriously suggesting I wake him up and take him upstairs with me?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"Ok that does sound weird." Charlotte admitted. "But you shouldn't feel awkward about having him stay over. We don't want that, mom. Right?" She said glancing at Rory.

"She's right, mom. I know it'll feel weird to start with because it's Luke. But we want you to be happy." Rory smiled.

"How did I get so lucky with you two?" Lorelai smiled, touched.

"Well you can make it up to us some other way." Charlotte joked. "Now go wake him up!"

"Yes ma'am!" Lorelai smirked. "Night girls." She smiled softly.

"Night mom." Charlotte smiled.

"Night." Rory smiled disappearing into their room.

Charlotte heard her mom wake Luke up and then footsteps go upstairs. She sat at the table for a minute and pulled out her cell phone. She had texted Jess earlier making sure they were ok but she still hadn't got a reply. She rang him number but sighed when it went to voicemail. She didn't know what was going on but right now, she was tired so she got up and went into her and Rory's room to get ready for bed. She would worry about Jess tomorrow.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming. I can't believe I'm nearly at 200! Thank you so much for all your support! :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**I'm sorry about the wait! I had a family wedding this weekend so it's been pretty crazy and I haven't had any time to write. I'm going away on holiday on Friday until Monday so might not be able to update until after that. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I can't believe I'm at 200 reviews so thank you so much! :)**

Chapter 36

The following morning Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were walking to Luke's for breakfast before Charlotte and Rory were heading back to Yale.

"Twenty-three is old. It's almost twenty-five, which is, like, almost mid-twenties." Lorelai said.

"She did not say that." Rory said.

"She did say that." Lorelai nodded.

"It seems a little wrong that Jessica Simpson is alive and well and Roy got eaten by his tiger." Charlotte joked.

"Aw. Survival of the fittest, baby." Lorelai said as they walked into the diner. "Oh man, this place is packed."

"Damn that Zagat guide." Rory said.

"Only the loser mini-table is open." Lorelai said.

"What do we do?" Rory asked.

"Time to hover. You two take the old couple, I'll hit the cybergeek." Lorelai said.

"Got it." Charlotte said as she and Rory walked over to an older couple eating.

A while later the three of them were sat at two tables that they had put together.

"That was some of the best hovering I've ever seen you two do." Lorelai said.

"We were taught by the best." Rory joked.

"But the focus, you never blinked!" She exclaimed. "And the sneeze you did..." She told Charlotte. "So tiny, so dainty, so terrifying to the old."

"I aim to please." Charlotte grinned.

"Luke's going to be mad. I mean, he hates it when we commandeer two tables during rush hour." Rory said.

"Oh no, he only hated it that one time." Lorelai said.

"What time?" Rory said.

"The time when we did it and he was mad."

"He's hated it every time we've done it."

"No."

"Yeah."

"No, only the one time." Lorelai said.

"Which time?" Rory asked again.

"The time we did it and he was mad." Lorelai repeated.

"You're going to do this to Luke, aren't you?" Rory smirked.

"Until he's so dizzy he throws up." Lorelai grinned.

"Poor Luke." Charlotte smirked.

Just then Luke walked over. "Hey. Coffee's going to be ready in a second. You know what you want?" He smiled.

"Oh, well, we need napkins to cover this big, wide, expansive table." Lorelai grinned up at him.

"Ok. Uh, hey, are you in the mood for pancakes?" He asked.

"Pancakes, sure, yeah. I guess we have enough space for pancakes." Lorelai said confused he wasn't saying anything about the tables.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, knowing this was going to go on a while. She spotted Jess appearing from behind the curtain. "I'll be back." She told her mom and Rory before walking over to the counter, leaving them to tease Luke. "Hey..." She said cautiously.

Jess looked up in surprise. "Hey. I thought you were in Yale?"

"Rory and I felt bad for bailing on our mom so we came back late last night." She said.

"Oh." He said.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment before sitting down on a stool. "Are we ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?" Jess said.

"Because you hung up pretty quickly last night." Charlotte said.

"I didn't want to interrupt your evening with Marty." Jess said starting to wipe the counter, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

"You weren't interrupting anything. We were just hanging out, that's all." Charlotte said.

"Ok well I didn't want to interrupt your hanging out." He shrugged.

Charlotte sighed. "Jess..."

"What?"

"Why are you being like this?" She exclaimed.

"Like what?"

"Like acting all jealous about me hanging out with Marty! It's not an attractive trait, you know." Charlotte said.

"Huh, and I guess Marty has lots of attractive traits right? You seem to spend every day with him." Jess said finally looking up at her.

"He's a good friend yes!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I think you're being really unfair. I really think you and Marty would get on if you spent some time with him."

"You do huh?" Jess said raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah I do." Charlotte nodded. She sighed. "Look I've got tickets to this Yale/Harvard game next week. I want you to get to know Marty and I want him to get to know you too. Will you come?"

Jess was quiet for a moment. "You've got tickets to a football game?" He finally said, stifling a smirk. "You're that keen for me to spend time with Marty?"

"And me, yes!" Charlotte grinned. "Plus also I'm sure our grandpa would have forced us to go anyway." She added.

"Huh." Jess smirked.

"Please? For me?" Charlotte asked.

Jess sighed. "Yeah sure ok." He shrugged.

"Thank you!" Charlotte exclaimed grinning. "Now can I have some coffee?"

"Coming up." Jess rolled his eyes, grabbing a mug and pouring her some. "So are you here for the whole weekend?"

"No we have to get back to Yale today. But I'll see you next week." Charlotte smiled sipping her coffee. She looked up at him. "You know I love you right?" She said quietly.

Jess glanced at her before giving her a quick nod. "I know." He said gruffly.

"Good." She smiled.

* * *

The week went quickly and soon it was the day of the game. After having met up with Richard and Emily and toasting Dan the dog, Lorelai, Charlotte, Jess and Rory were sat down eating lunch at their own tailgating area.

"Isn't Tristan here yet?" Charlotte asked Rory.

"I think so. I think he's with some friends." Rory shrugged.

"I thought you guys were going to meet up." Charlotte frowned.

"We don't have to be together every minute of the day, you know." Rory retorted.

"Whoa, ok. I was just asking, geez!" Charlotte said surprised by her sister's response.

Rory realised everyone was looking at her so she focused on her food. "Sorry. I've just got a lot of work to do for the paper. Guess I'm a bit stressed." She said quietly.

"Well I think I have officially eaten a third of a cow." Richard said changing the subject.

"The steak is incredible." Charlotte agreed.

"I'm glad you're all enjoying it. Lorelai, how's your steak?" Emily asked.

" _Why_ do you ask?" Lorelai grinned holding up her steak with her fork.

"That's it. Hand over the flask." Emily said referring to the flask with alcohol in that they had brought with them.

"I do not know what you're talking about. There's no flask here." Lorelai said quickly.

"What's going on over there?" Rory asked gesturing to a crowd of people not far from them.

"Oh Richard, it's Dan!" Emily exclaimed.

"Dan? It's Dan! It's Dan!" Richard said excitedly getting up.

"I thought we already saw Dan." Charlotte said.

"We saw dead Dan." Jess smirked.

"Shh!" Charlotte said nudging him.

"It's true." He shrugged.

"Yeah, well...aw look! It really is Dan!" She exclaimed getting up.

"Here you go, Dan." Emily said going over to Dan and giving him a dog toy.

"Enjoy it now. I just saw your future and it ain't good." Lorelai joked stroking him along with Charlotte.

"Charlotte!" A voice suddenly said.

Charlotte looked up and smiled when she saw Marty. "Hey!" She smiled. She glanced over at Jess who was still sat at the table. "Jess!" She said gesturing him over. Jess reluctantly got up and went over to them. "Uh you two have already met..." She said awkwardly.

"Yeah. Marty." Jess nodded.

"Hi." Marty nodded back. "Uh there's a party going on over there on the hill. Do you two want to join us?" He asked.

"Sure, that sounds fun!" Charlotte smiled. "I'll just check with my mom and grandparents."

After checking that it was ok, the three of them walked over to the hill in awkward silence.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte sighed as she watched Jess excuse himself to go get some food during half time of the game. He had barely said one word to Marty the whole time. Even when Marty had tried to converse with him, Jess had just answered with one word answers. She turned to Marty. "I'm sorry." She said.

"It's fine." Marty said.

"I should go..." Charlotte sighed gesturing to the direction Jess had gone in.

"Let me." Marty offered.

"But..."

"Trust me." Marty smiled at her before disappearing off. He wandered out of the stadium and spotted Jess lining up for a hot dog. He slowly walked over to him. "Hot dogs are a must for me too when I'm at a football game." Marty said in a friendly tone.

Jess glanced at him and just gave him a quick nod. "Huh." He said.

"Let me pay for these." Marty tried again getting some money out.

"I can pay for myself." Jess said gruffly.

"I know. But I'd like to." Marty said.

"Why?" Jess scowled.

"Because you're Charlotte's fiance and I think it would make her happy to know that we were getting along." He said. "Even though it's a lie."

"You seem to think you know my fiancee better than me." Jess said accusingly.

"I'm not saying that but you can hardly deny the fact that she wanted us to get along. This was the whole point of today wasn't it?" Marty said.

Jess shrugged. "I guess."

"Well then...let me pay." Marty repeated.

"No." Jess said stubbornly.

Marty sighed, knowing he wasn't getting anywhere. "Look I get it ok?"

"Get what?" Jess grumbled.

"You don't like me." Marty shrugged.

"You said it." Jess shrugged.

"Why? What have I done to you?" Marty asked.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Jess turned to him and scowled. "Ok. I don't like you." He admitted. "Don't you think I know how beautiful Charlotte is? I know that and I know other guys know that too. You meet her for ten minutes and suddenly she's hanging out with you everyday. She talks about you the whole time. I know your motive. Charlotte's too trusting but I know why you've befriended her!" He said angrily.

"You're jealous." Marty said simply.

"Damn right I'm jealous! She thinks you're great! But I know you're type. You're just after one thing!" Jess retorted.

Marty took a deep breath. "Jess, I would never steal a girl from someone else."

Jess snorted. "Sure you wouldn't."

"I wouldn't." Marty said firmly. "Look, I had that happen to me and it really sucks. Like seriously sucks. I would never do that to anyone else and make them feel as crap as I did." He said honestly. When he realised Jess hadn't said anything, he continued. "Jess, she loves you. You say she talks about me the whole time. Well she talks about you the whole time when we're hanging out. She really loves you. I mean she said yes to marrying you, didn't she?" He said. "Charlotte's been a good friend to me and I really enjoy spending time with her but as I've told her, I'll stop if that's what you want."

Jess glanced at him. "You got cheated on?" He spoke finally.

Marty nodded. "It was my best mate." He said quietly. "Since then I've found it hard to make friends. I guess I've found it hard to trust people again." He shrugged.

"That does suck." Jess said quietly.

"It was years ago now." He shrugged. "But I vowed from then that I would never do anything like that to anyone else. Look, I really like Charlotte but as a friend. She's the only person here who actually listens to me and seems to enjoy my company. It felt nice. But I can understand why you would be jealous, I do."

Jess was quiet for a moment before glancing at him. "So does that offer to pay for my hot dog still stand?" He asked.

Marty smiled. "Sure. If that's what you want."

"It'll make Charlotte happy right?" Jess said.

"Right." Marty smiled.

They got to the front of the queue and Marty ordered three hot dogs.

"Hey Marty?" Jess said.

"Yeah?" Marty said turning to him.

"I'm sorry."

Marty smiled at him. "No need to be. Truce?" He asked holding out his hand.

Jess glanced at him before shaking his hand. "Let me give me a bit of advice though. Charlotte hates football. I say we bail." He smirked.

Marty laughed. "Oh thank god! I hate it too! I only agreed because she asked me to come."

Jess chuckled. "Yeah me too."

* * *

"Oh my god, I have never been this full in my life!" Charlotte exclaimed as she walked down the stalls of food with Jess and Marty.

"More full than the four Thanksgiving dinners you had?" Jess smirked.

"You had four Thanksgiving dinners?" Marty asked surprised.

"Oh you have so much to learn." Jess smirked.

"You'll have to give me the lowdown then." Marty laughed.

"I'd be glad to." Jess chuckled.

"Ok I think I liked you better when you hated him." Charlotte pouted.

"You love me really." Jess smirked, putting his arm round her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the side of her head.

"God help me." Charlotte smirked. Just then her cell phone rang. She smiled as she saw the caller ID. "Hi!"

"Hey hon!" Lorelai said. "How was it?"

"We bailed before the second half." Charlotte smirked.

"You are so my daughter!" Lorelai grinned. "I'm sorry I bailed."

"It's ok. Rory texted me and said grandma and grandpa haven't said a word to each other though." Charlotte said.

"Poor Rory." Lorelai sighed. "How's it going with Jess and Marty?" She asked.

"Yeah good." Charlotte smiled as she glanced at Jess and Marty who had walked ahead of her. "It was really bad and awkward to start off with. Something must have happened though. I don't know what Marty said but they seem fine now." Charlotte smiled.

"That's good then." Lorelai smiled. "I should go. Call me tomorrow."

"I will." Charlotte smiled. "Say hi to Luke from me!" She teased before hanging up. She caught up with Jess and Marty. "Let's get some ice cream!" She grinned.

"Seriously? You just said..." Marty started to say before he saw Jess smirking at him. "Something else I'm going to learn?"

"Yup." Jess said.

"Ok." Marty smirked.

"Let's go!" Charlotte grinned but then realised Marty had stopped walking. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Isn't that Paris?" He asked.

Charlotte looked in the direction that he was looking and immediately cringed when she saw Paris kissing none other than Asher Fleming. "Ah geez!" She exclaimed. "I seriously need ice cream now." She said starting to walk away but this time she realised Jess had stopped. "What?" She asked.

"Have...uh...have Rory and Tristan broken up?" Jess asked hesitantly.

"No, why?" She frowned. Jess nodded in front of them and Charlotte looked to find Rory kissing a blonde haired guy who she didn't recognise. "Ok I officially don't need ice cream now." She said stunned.

 **So a twist at the end there! I hope you don't hate me! :P Please keep the reviews coming as your support means so much to me! Thank you! :)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Thought I'd do another update before I go on holiday on Friday! :) Hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 37

"What the hell is she doing?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Who even is that?"

"Logan Huntzberger." Marty said.

"You know him?" Charlotte turned to him.

"I've bar-tended for him and some of his friends a few times. He's a jerk." Marty said.

"How could she do this to Tristan?" Charlotte frowned.

"Come on, we should go." Jess said quietly.

"No I need to go over there!" She exclaimed.

"I don't think you should do it here." Jess commented.

"Why not?"

Jess sighed. "Look, I need to get back to Stars Hollow but I'd really like my fiancee to still be in tact so that I can say goodbye to her properly."

"Jess..."

"Look, I'm sure you'll have time to talk to her but right now, it's not the right time." Jess said softly.

"She's right. It'll be around Yale in an instance. Do you really want Tristan to find out that way?" Marty pointed out.

Charlotte sighed. "I guess not."

"Good. Come on then." Jess said.

Charlotte took one last look at her sister before following Jess and Marty.

* * *

Later that evening, Charlotte walked into the dorm and went straight to Rory's room. She was glad to see Paris was still out although she didn't want to think about where she was. "Hey." She said crossing her arms against her chest.

"Oh. Hey!" Rory smiled.

"So...have you cheated on any nice boys recently?" Charlotte said.

Rory froze. "What?"

"What, should I rephrase that? Have you been kissing any boys behind Tristan's back recently?" Charlotte said.

"Charlotte..." Rory tried.

"I can't believe you! How could you do that? I'm guessing Tristan doesn't know?"

"Of course he doesn't!"

"So are you going to tell him or am I?" Charlotte said threateningly.

"You can't tell him!" Rory exclaimed.

"He deserves to know!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"And it's nothing to do with you!" Rory exclaimed angrily.

"It's everything to do with me! Tristan's a good friend! I can't sit around and let him get humiliated like this!"

"And I'm your sister!" Rory shouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Don't you dare do that! You know you've done wrong, you know it! How could you do this?" Charlotte exclaimed.

Rory groaned. "Look, I know it was wrong ok? But Tristan and I...we've been growing apart for a while now..."

"So he deserves you cheating on him?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No he doesn't, I know that! But it was just a kiss! I didn't plan it...it just happened!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well fix it! You tell Tristan or I will!" Charlotte warned before storming out and slamming the door to her own room.

* * *

The next morning, Charlotte and Rory had gone back home for the weekend and they were currently walking towards Luke's.

"It's culs-de-sac." Rory said.

"No way!" Lorelai said.

"It is."

"The plural of cul-de-sac is culs-de-sac?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes."

"That doesn't even sound like English." She said.

"That's because it's French." Rory said.

"You know what I mean."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news." Rory joked.

"Talking about bad news, have you spoken to Tristan yet?" Charlotte said pointedly.

"No." Rory said stiffly. "I've not had time."

"Likely excuse." Charlotte said under her breath.

"Ok what is going on between you two? I've noticed the tension between you ever since you got home." Lorelai said.

"Nothing." Rory grumbled.

"Charlotte?" Lorelai questioned.

Charlott just shook her head. "What she said." She grumbled as they entered Luke's.

"Hey, when did Lane start working here?" Lorelai said.

"A couple of days ago. Jess said she filled out an application and Luke brought her in for an interview and everything." Charlotte said.

"An interview? So official." Lorelai joked.

"Yeah. They sat in complete silence for a full five minutes, then Luke said, 'How ya doing?' and she said 'Good,' and then he gave her the job." Charlotte smirked.

"Ha!" Lorelai laughed.

"You grab a table, I'll go order for us." Charlotte said heading over to the counter where Jess was. "Kill me now." She groaned.

"She still not talked to Tristan?" Jess guessed.

"No! And I've been avoiding him since the game! I can't take it anymore!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Are you seriously going to tell him if she doesn't?" Jess asked.

"Don't you think he deserves to know?" Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. But I also think it should come from Rory. If things are really that bad, I'm sure Rory will talk to him sometime." Jess shrugged.

"You're taking her side on this?"

"No. I think what she did was wrong but I also think Tristan deserves to hear about it from Rory. Remember when you thought I was doing something with Lane and Rory told you? You didn't believe her to begin with, did you?" Jess pointed out.

"Well yeah..."

"Well then, Tristan might not believe you and then you guys might fall out. Do you want that?" Jess said.

Charlotte sighed. "I just hate this. I hate hiding from him. He's been a good friend to me."

"I know." Jess assured her. "It will work itself out, trust me."

"God I hope so..." Charlotte sighed.

* * *

Charlotte returned to their dorm early that on the Sunday that weekend. The tension between her and Rory was just too much to take and she needed to get away. She walked towards their dorm but stopped when she saw a figure standing outside. She groaned inwardly to herself but slowly walked towards him. "Hey..." She said cautiously.

"Oh hey." Tristan said.

"Are you looking for Rory?" She asked.

"Yeah. I haven't seen her all weekend and she wasn't picking up her phone." Tristan said.

"We were home this weekend." Charlotte said. "She didn't tell you?"

"No." Tristan sighed.

"Well I should..." Charlotte said gesturing towards her dorm, hoping to get away.

"You don't know if anything's wrong with her, do you? If she's upset about anything?" Tristan asked.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Well she's been ignoring my calls for a while now and I feel like she's been avoiding me." He admitted.

"Oh I'm sure she hasn't..." She tried.

"She hasn't talked to you about it, has she? Have I done something to upset her or anything?" He asked worried.

"No." Charlotte reassured him. "No she hasn't mentioned anything. I swear." She said.

"Are you sure?" Tristan asked.

"You haven't done anything." Charlotte said. "I should..." She said gesturing to her dorm again.

"Oh yeah sure. I'm sorry I pounced on you like this." Tristan sighed.

"It's ok." She said unlocking the door to the dorm. She sighed and turned back round. "I'll tell her you came by."

"Thanks." He said giving her a small smile before walking off.

Later that day, Charlotte was sat in the communal area when Rory came back. "You need to tell Tristan. Today." She said firmly, getting up.

"Charlotte..." Rory groaned.

"No, he's sensing something's wrong. He thinks it's his fault! He thinks he's done something to upset you!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"What?" She said surprised.

"He came by earlier. He asked if you'd talked to me about anything. He was worried he'd upset you and I had to stand there and lie to him and reassure him that everything was going to be ok! Do you know how bad I felt doing that? I lied to him, Rory! It's not fair!" She exclaimed angrily.

Rory sighed. "You didn't tell him..." She said.

"No I didn't and I felt awful. Please, you need to talk to him! Please!" Charlotte begged. "I lied to a good friend, Rory. I can't do it again."

"I'm sorry." Rory said quietly.

"Just talk to him!" Charlotte exclaimed before disappearing into her room.

* * *

The next day, Rory was in the newspaper office making newspaper hats with Paris.

"You know, you never told me what you thought of my article." Paris said.

"What article?" Rory asked, glancing over to where Logan was sat. She hadn't spoken to him since the kiss. He suddenly looked up at her but she turned away quickly.

"My interview with Asher Fleming. Did you read it?" Paris asked.

"Oh, I skimmed it." Rory said.

"Oh, well, I have a copy in our room. I can give it to you tomorrow." She said.

"You're a good writer. I'm sure it's goo..." Rory started but then she saw Tristan bursting in. Her eyes widened when she watched him storm over to Logan.

"My best friend! You're my best friend and you do this!" Tristan said angrily.

"What?" Logan said standing up.

"Don't give me the innocent act! I've stood by you through everything! I've been there for you when no one else has and you repay me by stealing my girlfriend!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Look, Tristan..." Logan tried but was stopped by Tristan's fist connecting with his nose. "God, geez!" Logan groaned as he felt blood trickling down his face.

"You and me, we're done." Tristan told Logan menacingly. "Stay away from me."

"Tristan..." Rory tried.

"Don't Rory..." He shook his head. "I loved you."

"Tristan..." Rory said with tears in his eyes, seeing the hurt in his face.

"I loved you and you do this? My best friend, Rory! And I had to hear it from some strangers who'd seen you kissing at the game! Why? Why did you do it?" He said, his voice cracking.

"It just...happened..." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah...well...he's all yours." Tristan said. "Have a good life." He said before walking out.

"Tristan, wait!" Rory exclaimed but Tristan disappeared out of sight without looking back. She blinked some tears away from her eyes. She looked round the room to see everyone staring at her but as soon as she looked, they went back to their work.

"You kissed Logan?" Paris said.

"Not now, Paris..." Rory said before going over to Logan. "Logan..."

"I think I should go...uh...clean up." Logan said quietly holding his nose.

"I'll come with you." Rory offered.

"No." Logan shook his head.

"What?" Rory said surprised.

He sighed. "I think we should have some distance between us for a moment. That kiss...it meant something to me." Logan said. "But then you were avoiding me so it obviously didn't mean anything to you. And now I've lost the one good friend in my life. The one guy who has been there for me. And for what? A stupid mistake..."

"It wasn't a stupid mistake..." Rory said tears pricking her eyes again. "I'm sorry I avoided you. I was just trying to get my head round things."

"Well forget it." Logan said.

"Logan, please..." Rory said.

"I need to go clean up." He sighed before walking out of the office, leaving Rory standing there.

* * *

Charlotte returned to the their dorm late that evening. She stopped when she saw Rory curled up on the couch, crying. "Rory?" She said.

Rory looked up at her with tears running down her face. "I've messed up." She cried. "I've messed up so bad! I don't know what to do!"

Charlotte sighed but walked over to her and sat down beside her putting her arms round her distraught sister's shoulders. "Come here." She said giving her a hug. She may not have liked what Rory had done but holding her sobbing sister in her arms, she knew she had to be there for her. She was still her sister after all. "It's ok." She tried to reassure her. "It will be ok."

 **So I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for all the reviews so far! Please keep them coming! :) Thank you so much for your support! :)**


	39. Chapter 39

**So some of you may not be happy after this chapter but I promise I have a plan so please keep with me! :) Thank you for all your support so far! It really does mean so much to me. :)**

Chapter 38

Charlotte was racing round her room, getting ready for class, when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" She answered.

"There are no tables at Luke's." Her mom's voice said on the other end.

"And I can do what about that?" Charlotte smirked.

"Well, I was hoping you'd develop mind control powers since I last saw you and you could will people to leave." Lorelai said.

"No. If I could do that, I'd be using it to play the ponies or something. Your table would be low on the list." Charlotte said.

"Selfish!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Ooh hang on a second."

Charlotte smirked as she could hear Lorelai manage to get a seat at a table with Kirk.

"Ok I'm back. So how's everything there?" She asked.

"Urgh don't ask." Charlotte groaned.

"That bad?" Lorelai asked.

"Well Rory and Logan are now a thing." Charlotte told her.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised. "Uh ok. How did that happen?"

"I don't know. I didn't really ask for the details but apparently they talked and now they're a thing." She said.

"You don't sound very happy about it..." Lorelai said cautiously.

"It's not really my place to judge. I just sort of feel weird with it all. I mean I've been hiding from Tristan since it happened."

"Aw hon..." Lorelai said softly.

"Anyway, change of subject please..." Charlotte said.

"Ok, uh...ooh hang on, something's going down here..." Lorelai said.

"What?"

"A kinda odd rock-and-roll, hippy-chick came in, she's deep in conversation with Luke, who is not looking too happy to see her." Lorelai said.

"What are they saying?" Charlotte asked.

"Uh, they are rudely out of range." Lorelai joked. "Oh hang on, oh god..." She said.

"What?"

"Jess has just gone down and he is kicking off." Lorelai said, watching as Jess literally pushed the woman out of the diner while Luke tried to placate the situation. "He's pushed her out."

"Wow.." Charlotte frowned.

"Yeah...Uh..when I get the details, I'll let you know yeah?"

"Ok." Charlotte said. "Uh mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come home tonight? I haven't got class tomorrow so can stay for the weekend."

"Seriously? Of course you can!" Lorelai said happily. "Any particular reason?"

"Just need to get out of Yale for a bit." Charlotte admitted.

"Ok." Lorelai said not pushing her.

"Anyway, I should get going. I've got class in a bit." She said.

"Ok. See you tonight then." Lorelai smiled.

"Bye mom." Charlotte said hanging up. She grabbed her sketchbook and went out to the communal area to find that Rory had just helped style Tanna's hair.

"Hey." Rory said quietly to her sister.

"Hey." Charlotte smiled tightly.

"So..uh..Tanna is hoping to impress a boy today so I've helped her with her hair. What do you think?" Rory asked.

Charlotte smiled warmly at Tanna who looked nervous. "I think any boy would be stupid not to ask you out." She said.

"Thanks." Tanna smiled shyly. "I should get going. Thanks Rory."

"No problem." Rory smiled. They watched her go before Rory turned to Charlotte. "She was worrying so I offered to help."

"Nice." Charlotte nodded.

"Do you have a minute or do you have to get to class?" Rory asked hesitantly.

"I guess I have a minute." Charlotte said slowly.

"Can we talk then?"

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah ok." She relented.

"Ok good." Rory said letting out a breath as well. "So..uh.." She started but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Rory went over and opened it. "What are you doing here?" She asked surprised.

"Thought I'd walk you to the paper." Logan smiled.

"You're sweet." Rory smiled, giving him a quick kiss, causing Charlotte to roll her eyes.

"So are you ready?" He asked.

"Oh..uh.." Rory said looking back at her sister.

"Don't mind me." Charlotte forced a smile onto her face. "Just to let you know I'm going home tonight for the weekend." She said.

"What? Since when?" Rory asked.

"Since about 5 minutes ago." She said.

"What, just to get away from me?" Rory frowned.

"To get away from some people, yeah." Charlotte nodded glancing at Logan. "Plus something seems to be going down with Jess so I want to see him. I need to get to class." She said heading for the door.

"Charlie, come on!" Rory said.

"I'm late. I'll say hi to mom from you." Charlotte said before leaving the dorm. She quickly walked to her class as she realised she was actually late. It was her favourite class but now she just felt frustrated. She actually thought Rory had wanted to make things better between them but then Logan appeared and she hose him again. She was thinking about the whole situation so she didn't look where she was looking and she bumped into someone, dropping her sketchbook and all her paints. "Great!" She groaned kneeling down to pick them up.

"You seem to be in a rush." A voice said.

Charlotte looked up to see Tristan kneeling down to help her pick up her paints. "Tristan.." She said quietly.

"Late for class?" He asked.

She sighed. "Yeah. Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. I had a bad morning." She said not wanting to mention Rory.

"I've had those." Tristan nodded. "Here." He said handing her the last of her paints.

"Thanks." She smiled awkwardly standing back up. "So I should..."

"Oh yeah sure." He nodded. "Make sure you look where you're going though ok?" He said with a slight smirk.

Charlotte blushed embarrassed. "Yeah. Thanks." She said. She watched him start to walk off. "Hey Tristan?" She said.

"Yeah?" He said turning back.

"We're still...friends right?" She asked cautiously. "I mean I know things are weird because of Rory and everything but we were friends before you two even got together and you've been a really good friend. I'd hate it if it has to be awkward between us and..." Charlotte rambled on.

"We're cool." Tristan smiled at her. "Just don't knock me over again and we'll be fine." He joked.

Charlotte let out a breath and laughed. "I promise."

"See you around." He smiled.

"Bye." Charlotte smiled before heading to class.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai and Charlotte were walking through the square on their way home.

"I can't believe that mystery woman was Jess' mom." Charlotte said.

"I know." Lorelai said. "Luke said he hasn't seen him since he stormed out. Have you heard from him?"

"No." Charlotte frowned. "Oh wait, I think I see him." She said nodding towards the gazebo where a hunched figure was sitting. "Meet you at home?" She asked her mom.

"Sure. I'll order pizza." Lorelai said.

"Thanks. I won't be long." She said. She then headed towards the gazebo. "So I hear it's been a pretty eventful day for you..." Charlotte said cautiously.

Jess looked up in surprise. "I didn't know you were coming home." He said.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. Had to get away from Rory and loverboy." She joked.

Jess smirked slightly. "Fair enough."

"So..uh..your mom was here?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't want to talk about her." Jess mumbled.

"Why was she here? Did she want to talk to you?" Charlotte asked.

"I said I don't want to talk about her. She's no mother to me." Jess said gritting his teeth, standing up and leaning against one of the railings.

"Ok. But aren't you interested in what she wants? She might want to make things right. She might have changed." Charlotte said hesitantly.

"I said I don't want to talk about her!" Jess said loudly, making Charlotte jump.

"Ok. Sorry." Charlotte said quietly, startled.

"Why does she always have to do this?!" Jess exclaimed angrily.

"Maybe she wants to talk to you..." Charlotte said quietly. "Don't you want to hear what she has to say?"

"I hate to break it to you but not every family has this crazy mother child relationship. We don't all talk about every little thing!" Jess snapped.

"Hey!" She exclaimed hurt.

"Urghh this is what she does!" Jess exclaimed kicking the gazebo angrily. "She makes me so angry!"

"Ok just take a breath..." Charlotte said quietly, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Get off me!" Jess exclaimed, breathing heavily, turning round and pushing Charlotte causing her to stumble a bit. His eyes widened when he realised what he had done. "Charlie..." He said trying to reach out to her.

"I need to go." Charlotte said shaken.

"No please! I'm sorry! i was just angry about my mom. I didn't mean to do that. I didn't mean to scare you." Jess said.

"My mom's waiting." She said quietly.

"Charlotte please!" Jess begged.

"I need to go." She said, shaken about what had just happened. She then turned round and ran off, away from Jess.

"Charlotte!" Jess called after her but he didn't get a reply. "Urghh!" He exclaimed kicking the bench.

Charlotte raced home and she could feel herself trembling. She found her mom in the living room. "Mom.." She said quietly.

"Oh hey! I've ordered pizza. So how was Jess?" Lorelai smiled.

"I'm going back to Yale." Charlotte said.

"Wait, what?" Lorelai said confused.

"I forgot, I...uh...I have a meeting with a professor tomorrow so I need to go back." She said.

"Oh..ok.."

"I'm sorry..."

"No it's ok. Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Yeah everything's fine. I should get going." Charlotte said rushing to her room to get her bags. She then returned and gave her mom a hug. "I'm sorry. See you tomorrow at dinner." She said before rushing out.

"Yeah ok...bye." Lorelai said totally confused as she watched her daughter race out.

* * *

Charlotte got back to Yale that night and opened the door to her dorm to find Rory and Logan on the couch kissing. "Oh geez!" She exclaimed, causing them to spring up.

"Charlotte!" Rory said surprised. "What are you doing back?"

"Why, did I interrupt your time with loverboy?" Charlotte snapped.

"No..I just..." Rory started.

"I should go." Logan said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"No you don't have to go." Rory told him.

"Yes he does." Charlotte said narrowing her eyes at him.

"No he doesn't! I'm sick of this!" Rory said angrily. "I'm going out with him. Deal with it. I'm allowed to invite him round!"

"It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Logan said, giving her a quick kiss before leaving hastily.

"What was that for?" Rory exclaimed.

"What was what? He wanted to leave so he left." Charlotte retorted.

"Because you constantly make him feel unwelcome here!"

"Because he is!"

"You need to get over what happened! I'm with Logan now, not Tristan! I'd appreciate it if you acted civilly to my boyfriend, not my ex." Rory snapped.

"Well Tristan's my friend. Logan isn't! Logan's got a reputation, you know, around here. I don't trust him at all!" Charlotte said.

"Well I do!"

"I'm just looking out for you! He's not right for you! He'll mess you around." Charlotte warned.

"Sure. Because Jess has never messed you around huh?" Rory frowned, crossing her arms against her chest.

"You leave Jess out of this!" Charlotte shouted.

"Oh have I touched a nerve? What was this thing Jess was going through?"

"None of your business! This isn't about Jess!"

"Have you had a fight or something?" Rory asked.

"What the hell has that got to do with anything?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Because you always get in this mood after you fight with him!"

"No. I'm in this mood because of Logan. Because you constantly choose him over me!" Charlotte shouted.

"What? No I don't!" Rory exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh yeah? You wanted to talk this morning and then Logan arrived and you couldn't be bothered."

"That's not true!"

"Whatever! I'm done! Mess up your own life. I don't care anymore." Charlotte snapped heading to her room.

"Fine!" Rory shouted angrily. "Maybe Jess will see you for the spiteful bitch you are!"

"Go to hell!" Charlotte shouted.

"Right back at you!" Rory shouted, causing both of them to slam their doors to their rooms.

* * *

Rory felt numb as she left her professor's office the following afternoon. She hadn't felt more like a failure than she did now. She needed to talk to her mom but she felt too embarrassed to. She hadn't spoken to her mom in a while since all the Tristan and Logan drama. She needed and wanted to talk to Charlotte but when she had got up in the morning, she had already left. She tried ringing Logan but he hadn't answered. She bumped into someone causing her to drop all her book. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"It's ok." A familiar voice said.

"Tristan." Rory said her head whipping up. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." She said awkwardly.

"It's ok. Uh..I guess it's genetic." He said awkwardly, smirking slightly.

"What?"

"It doesn't matter." Tristan said. "Uh...are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rory said but couldn't help the tears that appeared in her eyes.

"Are you sure? Because you don't look ok..." Tristan said cautiously.

"I'm fine. Just go on your way. You shouldn't have to worry about me." She said quietly, sniffing, as she picked up her books.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Tristan asked.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine, I'm good. I'm just having a bad day, that's all. Don't worry about me." Rory said quickly, but she found herself going over to the side of the hallway and sitting down against the wall. "I'm fine..." She repeated.

"Yeah, you really look it." He said hesitantly. He sighed as he saw some tears fall down her cheeks. Despite what had happened between them, he would always care about her. She was his first love. He walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Why do you care?" Rory sniffed.

"I'll always care." Tristan admitted. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice softening.

"Everything's falling apart. I thought I had it all under control but I don't." Rory admitted, her voice cracking.

"What? What was under control?" He asked.

"Everybody else can handle the classes but I can't. And I'm supposed to. I'm supposed to take five classes. Everybody else does. I mean, my grandfather did. God, how am I going to tell my grandfather that I failed?" She exclaimed, tears falling down her face.

"You failed?" Tristan said surprised.

"No, I didn't even get a chance to fail. I mean...I had to drop a class. I was told to drop a class." Rory sniffed.

"That's not a big deal." He tried to reassure her.

"It's a really big deal. I'm not supposed to drop a class! I'm not the drop-a-class person. I get good grades. I...I handle things." She cried.

"Hey, come on." Tristan sighed putting his arm around her.

"And I can't even talk to Charlotte because we had the biggest argument known to man yesterday and I said stuff I didn't mean but I miss her and I need to talk to her but she hates me now! She hates Logan and..." Rory started but stopped when she realised what she was saying. "I'm just failing everything and I can't handle it! I'm messing everything up! Oh god, look at this!" She cried.

"What?" Tristan said trying to ignore the fact that Rory had mentioned Logan.

"You having to be nice to me. I mean, you shouldn't have to be nice to me! I treated you horribly and I totally understand why Charlotte disapproves about what I did. You were so lovely to me and I repaid you by doing this horrible thing to you! The worst thing anyone could do with anyone else!" Rory sniffed. "I'm so sorry. I should have said it straight away but I was confused and...I don't know but I really am sorry."

Tristan took a deep breath. "It's ok." He said quietly.

"Really?" Rory sniffed.

"No but you're sad." Tristan said with a slight smirk.

Rory had to laugh at his way of trying to lighten the mood. "I've messed everything up." She sniffed.

"No you haven't." He reassured her. "Look, I won't lie and say I wasn't hurt by what you did. But it's in the past. Stop beating yourself up about it. We...well we just weren't meant to be."

"I did love you." Rory said quietly glancing at him.

"Just not enough." Tristan said sadly.

"Tristan..." She said quietly.

"It's ok." Tristan sighed. "Look, Rory, the one thing I do know about you is that you're not a quitter. Dropping a class doesn't make you a failure and no one will think that."

"It shows I can't cope..."

"No, it shows you were just taking too many classes. Rory, you're extremely talented. You just need to not put so much pressure on yourself." Tristan said. "You'll be fine."

"You really think so?" Rory asked glancing at him.

"I know so." Tristan gave her a small smile. "But I also know something else."

"What?" Rory said.

"You need to go and find Charlotte and make things right between you too." He said.

"But Logan..." Rory started and then sighed. "She hates what I did to you. I don't think she could ever accept Logan..."

"Can we stop saying his name please?" Tristan cringed.

"Sorry." Rory said quietly.

"Look, just forget about everything. Forget about...Logan...for a moment and forget about me. I never wanted to get between you and Charlotte. Just talk to her. Apologise. Do whatever you need to do. I'm sure she's feeling as bad as you are about your argument. I know you two. Just talk to her." He said.

Rory sighed. "Yeah...ok."

"Well I should get going." Tristan said getting up. "Go talk to Charlotte." He said helping her up.

"I will." Rory said giving him a small smile. "Thanks." She said softly.

"Just talk to Charlotte." He smiled at her.

"I promise." Rory said. "Thanks." She said before walking up.

"Hey Rory?" Tristan said.

"Yeah?" She said turning round.

Tristan took a deep breath. "Logan's a good guy. A decent guy."

"You don't have to..." Rory said awkwardly.

"I do." He said. "I don't think I will ever forgive him for what he did but he was a good friend once. And I just want you to know he's a good guy. I know people say stuff about him but he won't mess you around."

"Thanks." She said softly. "Hey Tristan?"

"Yeah?"

"No regrets?" Rory asked hesitantly.

Tristan smiled. "No regrets." He said softly. "Now go talk to Charlotte!" He smirked. "Mary."

Rory laughed. "I will. Bye Tristan."

"Bye." He smiled before walking off.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte was heading back to the dorm. She had left the dorm early to avoid Rory so she spent the day with Marty. She was dreading going back and facing her sister. She had spent all afternoon venting to Marty who had listened patiently. She had grown frustrated again as she headed back to face the music so was annoyed when she ran into some rowdy guys. "Sorry." She mumbled trying to get past.

"What, you didn't see us there?" One of them said.

"I said I was sorry." Charlotte snapped but immediately regretted it when she was faced with three guys.

"So you think sorry will cut it? With that attitude?" The same guy narrowed his eyes. "Guys, I think we need to introduce her to some manners."

"I'm sorry ok? I just need to get back to my dorm." Charlotte said quickly.

"You're not going anywhere." The guy said.

"Oh yes she is." Another voice said. Charlotte was surprised to see Logan standing behind them. "Leave her alone."

Charlotte saw the immediate change in the guys and realised literally everyone knew Logan around here.

"We were just messing around." The guy said putting his hands up in surrender. "We were just joking."

"Well joke elsewhere." Logan said.

"We're going." The guy said quickly before making a hasty retreat.

"I could have handled that." Charlotte said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Really? Because you looked scared to me." Logan said.

"Urgh you're so full of yourself, aren't you? You think just because everyone loves you and worships the ground you walk on, you can do anything you want!" Charlotte snapped.

"I feel like we're talking about Rory here and not just what happened." Logan said.

"You think I haven't heard about your reputation?" Charlotte said. "Well you're not going to mess Rory around! I won't let you!"

"You really don't like me, do you?" Logan sighed.

"How could I? You betrayed your best friend by going off with his girlfriend! How does that make you a nice person?" She exclaimed. "You're nothing but a low life, egotistical, butt faced miscreant!"

"Butt faced miscreant?" Logan said with a slight smirk.

"And you still think this is funny!" Charlotte exclaimed frustrated. "Tristan's a good guy! He didn't deserve this! You can't treat people like this! Guys think they can just treat people any way they want but they can't! We have feelings too!" She said, embarrassingly wiping away some tears that had appeared.

"Now I'm thinking this isn't actually about me anymore..." Logan said going to sit down on a seat in the hallway outside the dorms.

"Can you stop being a wise ass for just one minute please?" Charlotte exclaimed, this time just letting the tears fall.

"Ok, I'm sorry." Logan said seeing her getting upset. "Come sit down."

"Next to you? No thanks." She retorted.

"Look, I hate myself for what I did to Tristan ok?" Logan sighed. "He was a really good mate to me. He didn't deserve what I did."

Charlotte glanced at him. "So why did you do it?"

"It just happened. We didn't plan it." Logan admitted. "But I need you to know that I really like Rory. I know it was crappy what we did but sometimes it's hard to resist if you fall for someone. Things happen. I regret the way it happened and how we hurt Tristan but I can't regret what actually happened. Because I do really care about Rory."

Charlotte walked over and sat next to him quietly. "I'm worried you're going to mess her about. I've heard things..." She said.

"About me being a playboy? Yeah well, maybe I was before. But I've not felt like I have with Rory before. I'm not going to mess her around. You have my word on that." He said.

"Yeah well...people say they're not going to mess you around and hurt you but they always do." She said quietly, sniffing a little.

"Want to talk about it?" Logan offered. "I'm a good listener." He saw her give him a look. "Hey, how do you think I cope with Colin and Finn as friends?"

Charlotte smirked slightly. "It's just...my fiance. We had a fight, that's all." She admitted.

"Well then I'm sure you'll make up. Couples fight." Logan said.

"They don't lay their hands on you though, do they?" Charlotte sniffed.

"He hit you?" He asked surprised.

"No! He just...He was angry ok? He had a really hard day and I was pushing him to talk about it. I guess I was pushing too hard because he snapped and pushed me a bit. He didn't mean it. He just...He was angry." She said quietly.

"But it shook you up." Logan guessed.

"Yeah." She admitted quietly. She sighed. "I guess this whole week has just been crap." She said. "Rory and I are fighting and we said things we didn't mean yesterday during this huge argument. I've never not been able to talk to her. We've always been here for each other but it's just changed recently."

"Because of me." Logan guessed again.

Charlotte sighed. "Tristan has been a really good friend to me. We were friends before him and Rory even got together. I guess I just let that taint my view of you."

"I can understand that." He said. "I know I might come across as a jerk but I'm really not. I would really like it if we could maybe start afresh?"

Charlotte was about to answer when she saw Jess suddenly come in. "Jess? What are you doing here?" She said surprised, getting up.

"I feel awful. I wanted to see you and apologise..." He started but stopped when he saw Logan stand up behind Charlotte. "Huh."

"What?" Charlotte said.

"You move on fast don't you?" He narrowed his eyes.

"What? No! Jess, Logan's..." She started.

"I don't want to hear it." Jess scowled.

"Hang on a minute..." Logan tried seeing what Jess obviously thought.

"No! It's not what it looks like! I just bumped into Logan! I was with Marty all day!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Jess barked out a laughed. "Ah Marty! He doesn't waste time does he? What, did you tell him all about how I shouted at you? How I pushed you? Did he hug you and tell you everything was going to be ok?" He said snidely.

"Why are you being so mean?" Charlotte exclaimed hurt, tears pricking her eyes again.

"You're pathetic! You had no right asking about my mother!" Jess said angrily.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah well you should have listened the first time!"

"I don't get you sometimes!" Charlotte shouted, getting angry herself sometimes. "I try to understand but you don't let me in! I try to be supportive but you won't talk!"

"Because it's none of your business! There's some stuff I don't want to talk about!" Jess shouted, just as angry.

"Well how are we meant to get married if you won't talk to me about things?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well maybe we shouldn't get married then!" Jess shouted.

"What?" Charlotte said stunned.

"You heard." Jess scowled. "It would leave you to spend every day with Marty instead! Which I'm sure you will both love!" He said bitterly.

"You know what, screw you Jess!" Charlotte shouted, having had enough. "You don't want to get married? Fine!" She said, angrily pulling her ring off and then throwing it at him. "Have your stupid ring back! You want us to be done? Fine!"

"Fine!" Jess snapped picking up the ring. "Tell Marty he's welcome to you!"

"Go to hell!" Charlotte shouted.

"Right back at you!" Jess shouted, storming off, leaving Charlotte standing there trembling with tears streaming down her face.

"Hey.." Logan said softly. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She asked her voice shaking.

"If I hadn't been here, he wouldn't have assumed..." Logan started.

Charlotte shook her head. "No. For once, you have nothing to say sorry for." She said quietly.

"Are you ok?" Logan asked softly.

Charlotte felt more tears fall as she shook her head. "No."

"Come here." He said pulling her into a hug.

Charlotte surprised Logan and herself when she accepted his action and cried on his shoulder.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai opened the front door of her house and gave Luke a tremulous smile. "Hi.." She said quietly.

"Hey. Is everything ok?" He asked concerned. He had got a phone call from Lorelai asking if he could go over.

"Yeah." She tried.

"That sounds convincing." Luke said.

Lorelai felt tears prick her eyes. "I just...feel so out of control. Like the whole world is falling down on me." She admitted.

"Come on, let's go sit." Luke said softly leading her to the couch. "What's brought this on?"

"We're running out of money." She admitted.

"What do you mean?" Luke frowned.

"The inn. We're running out of money and we can't pay Tom and his workers. This has been my dream forever and I have it and it's here and I'm failing. I can't handle it. I just spend every minute running around and working and thinking. And I thought I could do it but I can't! And I don't know what's going on with Charlotte and Rory. Rory hasn't spoken to me in days but I know some drama's gone down and then Charlotte was here yesterday but then left really quickly to go back to Yale even though she said she wanted some time away from there. And she wouldn't tell me what was wrong. And I just...I miss talking to them. Really talking to them. And I had to sit through dinner with my grandmother who basically called me a charity case and I couldn't even argue with her!" She cried.

"Hey.." Luke said softly putting his arm around her and pulling her close.

"I'm failing! I'm failing as a mother and I'm failing as a business woman. I'm just...failing." She cried.

"You are not failing." Luke said.

"I don't know what to do." Lorelai admitted. "I don't know what to do."

"Well that's what I'm here for. To help. You're not failing, Lorelai. Everyone has a moment when it feels like it's all falling apart when they're starting a new business. It's natural. I know I had it with the diner." He said.

"What happened?" Lorelai asked looking up at him.

"I burnt all the food and then knocked myself out when I walked into one of the shelves." Luke smirked.

Lorelai laughed. "Seriously?" She asked.

"No." Luke smirked. "But it cheered you up, didn't it?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah it did."

"I did have bad days though, when I thought I couldn't do it. But look at the diner now. I made it through that and you will too." Luke reassured her. "I'll help you."

"I'm so lucky to have you." Lorelai smiled softly at him.

"As for Rory and Charlotte...I don't know what's going on with Rory but I'm sure she'll talk to you soon but...uh...I think Charlotte and Jess may have split up..." He said hesitantly.

"What? Why?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"I don't know the details. Jess wasn't exactly in an expansive mood but he returned to the apartment not that long ago saying how marriage was a farce and that everyone was better off alone." Luke sighed.

"Oh geez..." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah..." Luke sighed.

"I should go and ring her. If it's true, she's going to be devastated..." Lorelai said.

"You go. I'll order food and then you can pick one of your mindless films to bore me with." He joked.

Lorelai smirked. She leant across and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you." She said softly. "For everything."

"Go ring your daughter." Luke smiled softly.

"I love you." Lorelai said softly.

"Right back at you." Luke smiled.

* * *

Charlotte walked into her dorm eventually and found Rory already there, who sprung up from the couch when she saw her sister come in. Both of them looked at each other for a moment before they both spoke at the same time.

"I have to drop a class." Rory admitted.

"Jess and I just broke up." Charlotte admitted.

"I'm sorry." Rory said rushing to her sister and hugging her.

"No I'm sorry." Charlotte said reciprocating her hug. "I've missed you." She cried.

"I've missed you too." Rory cried.

Just then Charlotte's cell rang. She took it out of her pocket and glanced at Rory. "It's mom."

"Put it on speakerphone." Rory said. "I haven't spoken to her in ages."

Charlotte gave her a small smile before putting it on speakerphone and answering. "Hi mom..." She said.

 **So a dramatic chapter but please keep with me! I do have a plan! :) Let me know what you think! :)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Wow, thank you so much for the response to my last chapter! I'm so overwhelmed by your support so thank you! :)**

Chapter 39

Lorelai went into the diner a couple days after her meltdown with her laptop. "Hey!" She smiled at Luke.

"Hey." Luke smiled on his way to give some orders out. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"You're referring to my meltdown." Lorelai said embarrassed.

"It wasn't a meltdown." Luke said.

"Oh, it was a meltdown! I'm sorry I dumped all that on you." She said.

"Hey that's what I'm here for." He reassured her. "So..uh..how's Charlotte doing?" He asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Not great." She admitted. "But we're all playing hooky later. We're going window shopping so I'm hoping to cheer her up."

"That sounds nice." Luke smiled.

"Yeah. So..uh..how's Jess doing?" She asked. "Got anything out of him about what happened? Charlotte won't say anything specific, just that they had a fight and split up."

"He's putting on a front. He's acting like he's ok but I know he's not. But you know Jess, not exactly the expansive type." Luke sighed.

"Yeah.." Lorelai said.

"At least he's still going to school though. I was worried this would mess him up and it would throw him back a bit." Luke admitted.

"Well...that's good." She said. "So..uh..you mind if I work on my laptop?" She asked.

"Does it make noise?"

"No but I sometimes do."

"You always do." Luke smirked.

* * *

Later that morning, Lorelai packed up her laptop and smiled at Luke as he came over.

"You done?" Luke asked.

"Oh yes, your limboing days are over, my friend. Thanks for putting up with me." She joked.

"Well, I only fell once." Luke smirked.

"And gracefully. See you this evening? We're going to have a movie night after the shopping. We haven't done it for a while. But we were wondering if you wanted to join us." She smiled.

"Oh you won't want me interfering. Surely they want some time with you alone without me tagging along?" Luke said.

"It was their idea. Face it, Luke. They love you." Lorelai smiled. "So you'll come?"

Luke smiled. "Yeah I'll be there." He said softly.

"Great! Bye!" Lorelai smiled getting up.

"Wait a minute." Luke said quickly.

"Why?" She asked. She noticed him looking around. "You're making me nervous." She joked.

"Just...uh...here." He said sliding an envelope over to her.

"What's this?" She asked.

"It's what it is." Lorelai started opening it. "Open it later." He said but Lorelai ignored him.

Lorelai looked at what was inside and sat back down. "Luke..." She said stunned. "A check to me for $30000?"

"Shh!" Luke said not wanting everyone in the diner to hear.

"Luke, what is this?" She asked.

"You said how you were struggling with the inn. How you were running out of money to pay Tom. I just wanted to help a bit." Luke said.

"I blubbered about the inn. I didn't expect...this..." She said softly, looking up at him in awe. "Luke, this is...wow..."

"Partners are meant to help each other. I'm sure if roles were reversed, you'd do the same for me." Luke shrugged. "It's no big deal. I just wanted to help. Lift the weight off your shoulders a bit."

"This is such a big deal." Lorelai said softly.

"Please, just take it." Luke said.

Lorelai gave him a loving smile. "Ok. Thank you. But we need to talk about this. How I'm going to pay you back..."

"Don't worry about that now." He said.

"But..."

"Look, we'll talk about it but not now. Please." Luke said.

Lorelai sighed but nodded. "Ok." She got up and looked across at Luke. She leant over and gave him a kiss. "Thank you." She said softly.

"You're welcome." He said softly before watching her leave.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were standing in front of a free-sample-guy eating food on toothpicks.

"They put everything on pretzels nowadays. I love that." Lorelai grinned.

"You're our new best friend, Howard." Rory joked.

"We don't say that to just anybody." Charlotte smirked.

"Just anybody holding free food." Lorelai joked. "We'll be back."

"Stock up!" Rory grinned.

"Ok, here we go." Lorelai smiled as they went up the escalator. "So where should we start?"

"Could we go to the food court first? I'm starving." Charlotte asked.

"Sure! Today we can do anything we want." Lorelai smiled.

"Cool!" She smiled.

They headed towards the food court, got an assortment of food and then sat down at a free table. "So how are you both doing?" Lorelai asked.

"Good." Rory nodded.

"Yeah fine." Charlotte said.

"Really?" Lorelai asked cautiously, glancing at Charlotte.

Charlotte sighed. "Mom, I told you I was ok."

"Yeah and I know when you're lying." Lorelai said softly. "I'm your mom. I know things."

Charlotte looked down at her food. "Ok I'm not ok but I have to deal with it. It's happened, that's it." She said quietly.

"Aw hon..." Lorelai said. "What happened? I thought you two were good."

"We just had a fight, that's it." She said.

"Well all couples fight..." Lorelai said cautiously. "Maybe you could talk? Make up?"

"It's over, mom." Charlotte said.

"Hon, I hate seeing you like this." She sighed.

"Well I'm fine." She said.

"Charlie..."

"I need the toilet. I'll be back." Charlotte said quickly before getting up and walking off.

Lorelai sighed watching her. "Has she said anything to you?" She asked Rory.

"No. Just that they had a fight." Rory said.

"They've had fights before. I just don't get it. This must have been some fight." Lorelai said.

"Logan said it was." Rory said.

"Logan?" She said confused.

"Yeah he was with Charlotte when Jess turned up. He didn't mention the specifics but he said they were shouting at each other." Rory said. "I tried talking to her about it but she just changes the subject." She sighed.

"So talking about Logan, how is it going between you two?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"It's good." Rory said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Rory said.

"Ok.." Lorelai said.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Nothing."

"That's not nothing. You have something to say so say it."

Lorelai sighed. "Well don't you think you might have moved on a bit fast?" She said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Rory frowned.

"Just that...one day you were happy and with Tristan and the next..well..." She said sighing. "Sorry, it's not my place, I know. But I just...I worry about you. Both of you. That's what moms do."

"I really like Logan. He's sweet, he's thoughtful, he's...great." Rory said.

"Ok." Lorelai said.

Rory sighed. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it when it all happened. It happened so quickly and I had to get my head round it all. I know it seemed like it happened quickly but...I don't know...I really like Logan. I think I might be falling for him." She admitted quietly.

Lorelai sighed. "Well...ok then." She said. "I'm glad you're happy then."

"Thanks." Rory gave her a small smile.

Just then, Charlotte came back to the table and they stopped talking about Rory's dating life.

"Hon, I'm sorry I kept going on about you and Jess. Consider the subject dropped." Lorelai said.

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly.

"So is Luke coming to movie night tonight?" Rory asked changing the subject.

"Yeah he said he would come." Lorelai smiled.

"Cool!" Rory smiled.

"So want to hear what Taylor did to annoy Luke today?" Lorelai grinned.

"When does he ever not annoy Luke?" Charlotte smirked.

"True!" Lorelai grinned. "But this involved Kirk as well."

"His two favourite people." Charlotte laughed.

Lorelai grinned, glad to see Charlotte laughing again, and proceeded to tell them about their latest antics.

* * *

That evening, Luke entered the diner after leaving to get some change to find Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory sat at a table surrounded by lots of bags. "I thought you were going window shopping." He said.

"We were. Until we bumped into my mother." Lorelai said.

"Ah." He said.

"We should return it all." Rory said.

"Grandma's going to expect to see us with something she bought us. We have to keep something." Charlotte said.

"Seven hundred dollar yoga bag?" Rory asked holding it up.

"Get out of here." Luke said shocked.

"Oh yes, my friend, rich people like their sweaty mats to have expensive homes." Lorelai joked.

"We could each keep a little clutch purse." Rory suggested.

"Uh Luke?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah?" Luke said.

"Is..uh..Jess here?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh..uh..yeah I think so. He's upstairs I think." Luke said awkwardly.

"Oh. Ok." Charlotte said quietly, not really knowing what to think about the fact her ex fiance was above them as they spoke.

"So who wants pie?" Lorelai asked quickly, changing the subject.

"Pie sounds good!" Rory smiled.

"Yeah, pie's good." Charlotte smiled.

"I need to go check on something but I'll serve it when I come down." Luke said disappearing behind the curtain.

"Are we going to wait for him to come back down?" Rory asked.

"Nope!" Lorelai grinned.

"I'll get it!" Charlotte laughed getting up and picking up three pieces of pie and putting them onto napkins. She suddenly heard Luke's voice from upstairs. "No Jess, wait!" He called from upstairs. Charlotte looked up as Jess suddenly appeared from behind the curtain, quickly followed by Luke.

"I'm sorry. I..uh..tried to tell you." Luke said awkwardly.

Charlotte and Jess just stood their looking at each other, both frozen to the spot. "Hi.." She said quietly.

"Hi." He said awkwardly.

"I..uh.." Charlotte started.

"I should go." Jess said quickly before rushing back upstairs again.

Charlotte stood their for a moment before taking a deep breath before picking up the pieces of pies and going back to the table. "Three pieces of pie." She forced a smile on her face.

"Are you..." Lorelai started.

"I'm fine." She said quickly.

"Ok." Lorelai said.

"This is really good pie." Rory said.

Charlotte smiled at her sister gratefully. "Yeah it is. One of your bests, Luke." She smiled at him.

"Uh..yeah..thanks." He said. "You guys finish off and I'll meet you over at yours."

"Ok." Lorelai smiled.

Once they'd finished and headed back home, Luke headed upstairs to find Jess lying on his couch reading. "So..uh..Lorelai's invited me over to hers tonight for a movie night." He said awkwardly.

"Thanks for the update." Jess said.

"And I might stay over as I don't have an early delivery tomorrow..." He said.

"Sure whatever." He said.

Luke sighed. "Jess, what happened?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Jess asked.

"Between you and Charlotte."

"I don't want to talk about it." Jess grumbled.

"Look, everyone has fights. You think Lorelai and I never fight? But we get through it. I'm sure if you talked to Charlotte..." Luke started.

"We're done, Luke. We can't make up." Jess said.

"It can't just be done, Jess. Can't you just...?"

"I pushed her Luke!" Jess suddenly snapped.

"What?" Luke said shocked.

Jess groaned and sat up on his bed, avoiding his uncle's gaze. "She was going on about Liz and she wouldn't give up. She kept saying that maybe if I talked to her, we could make up. I just snapped. I got so angry even thinking about Liz and I took it out on Charlotte. Before I knew it, I'd pushed her. She didn't fall or anything but she stumbled and I could see she was spooked. God even I was! I couldn't believe I'd gotten that angry. She looked so scared." He admitted. "And I caused that! She ran off. I went to Yale the next day to talk to her but I found her with some guy and then she mentioned being with Marty all day and I just snapped again. We had this huge fight and we broke up." He said. He glanced at Luke hesitantly. "So that's why we can't just make up. She deserves better than me." He grumbled. "Go enjoy your evening." He said lying back down on his bed.

Luke stood there shocked. "Jess..."

"Just go." He sighed.

"You'll be ok?" Luke asked. Jess glanced up at him in surprise. He assumed that he would be angry at him for hurting Charlotte. Luke sighed. "Look, what you did was wrong. Really wrong. But we all make mistakes. You're still my family. Are you going to be ok? Do you want me to stay?"

Jess shook his head. "No. You go." He said quietly.

"Ok." Luke said turning to leave.

"Hey, Uncle Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Jess said quietly.

Luke nodded at him before setting off to Lorelai's.

* * *

Later that evening, Luke was sat on the couch at the Crap Shack. He looked round the living room. He smiled as Lorelai snuggled up to him, her head leaning on his shoulder. He put his arm round her and pulled her towards him. He glanced at Rory and Charlotte who were sat side by side on the floor in front of them. He had to smile. He'd had a nice evening with them all. It all felt so normal, so right. He glanced at Charlotte who hadn't said much the whole evening. He could have sworn he caught her glancing at her cell phone a couple of times. She was usually so happy.

"I'm going to get some more snacks!" Lorelai said suddenly, getting up. "Next up, Casablanca!" She grinned.

"Can't wait." Luke smirked.

"Oh shush you!" Lorelai laughed before disappearing into the kitchen.

Luke smirked as he watched her leave. He glanced at Rory and Charlotte who were chatting about something although it was Rory doing most of the talking. He could see Charlotte was forcing a smile onto her face. "Hey..uh..can I talk to you quickly about something?" He suddenly found himself saying.

They turned back to him and smiled. "Sure!" Rory smiled.

"What's up?" Charlotte asked.

"Well..uh..I was just wondering...uh..." Luke started, now starting to feel nervous. "Ah geez, I should have done this after I'd bought the ring but it felt right to ask now but now I feel stupid..." He groaned, feeling embarrassed.

"Ring?" Rory said confused.

"Hang on a minute..." Charlotte said, her face suddenly lighting up into a genuine grin. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" She said excitedly.

"Keep it down!" He warned glancing over at the kitchen. "But yes..." He admitted. "I'm asking for your permission, both of your permissions, to ask your mom to marry me."

"Oh my god!" Charlotte exclaimed, beaming, glancing across at Rory who was grinning too.

"Is that a yes?" Luke asked nervously.

"Are you kidding?" Charlotte grinned. "When are you going to do it?"

"I don't know yet. I was thinking maybe on the opening of the inn but I'm not sure yet." Luke said.

"Aw that's so sweet!" Rory smiled.

"So I have your permission?" He checked.

"Absolutely!" Charlotte grinned.

"Definitely!" Rory nodded.

"Good. That's good. Thanks." Luke said giving them a small smile.

Just then Lorelai came back in with more snacks and snuggled back next to Luke, putting the movie back on. Luke smiled and put his arm back round her. He glanced at Rory and Charlotte who grinned at him secretly which he reciprocated. He had to admit, it was good to see Charlotte smile again. He smiled to himself before focusing back on the movie.

 **Hope you liked it! Thanks again for your amazing support! :) Keep letting me know what you think! :)**


	41. Chapter 41

**Sorry for the delay! I had a spontaneous weekend away so couldn't write! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 40

It had been a few weeks since Charlotte and Jess' break up. Charlotte and Rory had both been persuaded to go on Spring Break due to the awful weather in Yale.

"Hey, were we supposed to clear this with you first?" Rory asked their mom as they left the house with their bags packed.

"Clear what with me?" Lorelai asked.

"Going away."

"Oh, I don't know." She said.

"I mean, we don't live here anymore, so I'm not sure what the protocol is." Rory said.

"Ah, well. I think as long as I know now and I feel as if I have veto power, we're good." Lorelai said.

"You have veto power?" Charlotte smirked.

"No. I feel as if I have veto power, very different statement." Lorelai grinned.

"Right.." Charlotte smirked.

"But you'll call me a lot while you're there, right?" She asked.

"You're not worried, are you? Because we're just going for the sun and to read, nothing more." Rory said.

"I know, I know. It's just it's always the good kids who've never had a drink that take one sip of Kahlua and fall out of a window." Lorelai said.

"So you're sad you never taught us how to drink?" Rory joked.

"Exactly!"

"Well grab a bottle and some quarters and let's go." Charlotte joked.

"No falling out of windows!"

"Not even a first floor one." Rory said.

"And don't drink. And after you're done not drinking, drink tons of water and take two aspirin before you go to bed." Lorelai said.

"Got it." Rory nodded.

"And take Paris with you everywhere. Not much can happen with that girl along." Lorelai said.

"Got it." Rory repeated.

"And you, have fun ok? You deserve it." Lorelai smiled at Charlotte.

"Mom.." Charlotte said.

"Just promise me."

"I promise."

"Good." Lorelai said just as a horn honked outside. "Oh sounds like they're here. Ooh maybe they can stop by a bathing suit store along the way." She grinned.

"Our suits are fine." Rory rolled her eyes as they walked over to the car where Glenn and Paris seemed to be having a shouting match. "Hey, guys." She smiled.

"Let's go. We're on a schedule. Get away from Glenn." Paris said.

"Thank god you're both here." Janet said taking their bags and putting them in the car.

"So, how come Paris is driving?" Charlotte asked.

"Are we going to go through this again?" Paris said.

"I didn't know we'd already gone through it." Charlotte smirked.

"I can't be in a car if anybody else is driving, ok? If I die in a car crash, it's going to be at my own hand." Paris said.

"Hi, Paris." Lorelai forced a smile on her face.

"Hi, Lorelai." Paris said.

"Bye. Have fun." She smiled at her daughters.

"No windows." Rory said.

"No windows." Lorelai said.

"Bye mom." Charlotte smiled as they got in the car.

* * *

"Who's in charge here?" Paris asked as they arrived.

"I'm guessing pink shirts and white shorts?" Rory said.

"It is warm. Are you feeling the warmth?" Paris smiled.

"I'm definitely starting to thaw." Rory smiled.

"Definitely!" Charlotte smiled.

"Name, please." A man said coming up.

"It's under 'Billings.'" Janet said.

"Ok..ok, we have you girls in room 6." The man smiled.

"Room 6, ok. And what is your name?" Paris asked.

"Jack."

"Jack. Well, Jack, hello. I'm Paris, and this is Andrew." She said holding up a $20 bill. "And we just want to make sure that we're getting your very best room."

"Actually, room 9 has a better view and it's closer to the ice machine." Jack said quickly taking the bill.

"Let's go with 9. Now, who's going to help with our bags?" She asked holding out another bill causing a couple of guys to rush forwards. "Good. Ok, those four bags. Uh, Rory, your book bag?"

"Um, sure." Rory smiled handing it over.

"I'm going to go for a run." Janet said.

"Now?" Rory asked.

"Just a short one around the block." Janet said before jogging off.

"She looks so normal and then that happens." Rory joked.

"Come on." Paris said.

"Mom was right. We should always have Paris around." Charlotte grinned as they followed her to their room.

"Two beds. Well you two will have to argue on who gets the other one because I'll be damned if I don't have one." She said.

"I'm cool on the couch." Charlotte reassured Rory.

"You sure?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, I don't mind." Charlotte smiled.

"Ok, pull your covers down and roll on the bed." Paris told Rory.

"Why?"

"We are sharing this room with four other girls, Rory. Plus 10K Barbie, we have to stake out our territory." She said as if it was obvious.

"Yes and then we need to up your dosage."

"Look, a person comes in, they see a dent in the bed, possibly a hair on the pillow..." Paris said. "They'll figure that bed is taken. They will then move on to the rollaway."

"That's insane." Rory said.

"Ok, suit yourself." Paris shrugged starting to bounce on the bed.

Rory hesitated for a minute before she started doing it too as Charlotte watched on amused. "And I was worried I would I feel stupid." Rory said.

"You do." Charlotte grinned.

They soon heard some shouting outside so they went out to see what was going on.

"Man, that's a lot of people stuck in that tiny car." Rory said.

"They should all be wearing Shriner hats." Paris said.

"Seriously, how did they all fit in that one car?" Charlotte laughed. Just then she noticed a cute guy looking at her as he walked past.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hey." Charlotte said without thinking.

"Hmm, that was subtle." Paris said.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"The Joanie loves Chachi moment." Paris said.

"He said just said hey." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I heard."

"I said hey back. I was being polite."

"In Burma, you'd be married." Paris pointed out.

"Paris..." Rory warned as she saw Charlotte's expression change.

"I'm going to go make your bed." Charlotte said.

"Don't you dare." Paris said. "Man, I'm thirsty. Let's go find something to drink." She said.

"Are you ok?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

"Well...the married comment. I saw your expression change. It's ok if you miss Jess..." Rory said.

"Jess who?" Charlotte said.

"Charlie..." Rory sighed.

"Rory, I appreciate your concern but I'm over him. Now let's go have some fun like mom said." She said following Paris.

* * *

"I overslept again." Lorelai said as she walked down to the kitchen at the Crap Shack the next morning.

"I know." Luke said.

"Why didn't you get me up?"

"I tried, and you bit me." Luke said.

"I did not bite you." Lorelai scoffed. Luke held out his hand. "Oh my god, I did bite you. Cool!" She grinned.

"Here, eat this before it gets cold." He said.

"You made French toast?" She asked.

"Well I knew if there was no food down here when you finally got up, you would combust." Luke smirked.

"Why thank you." She grinned.

"I made bacon as well." Luke said.

"Oh my god, I love you!" Lorelai grinned.

"Glad to know it's because of my food that you do." He joked.

"Nah it's more than that." She grinned. She then smiled softly and leant over to kiss him. "Morning."

"Morning." Luke smiled. "I have to get to the diner." He said.

"Ok. But before you go, here." She said handing him a key.

"A key?" He said confused.

"Yeah well I thought maybe it was about time you got your own set rather than having to use the spare one under the frog." She shrugged.

"You're giving me a key to your house?" He asked surprised.

"You don't have to take it but I just thought..." She said.

Luke smiled. "Thank you." He said giving her another kiss. "See you tonight?"

"Tonight." She nodded.

"Bye."

"Bye doll." Lorelai smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Florida, Madeline and Louise had joined Paris, Charlotte and Rory at the poolside watching two guys having a competition on who can hit the other off their perch first.

"I've got $5 on the blond with the tattoo." Madeline said.

"You always go for the tattoos." Louise said.

"God, I'm starving. I haven't had anything but vending-machine junk. There's nothing around here. I would kill for something non-synthetic." Paris said.

Charlotte just smirked as she listened to all their conversations before turning to Rory who was talking to their mom on the phone.

"Ok, forget I said giant Q-tips. They're not hitting each other with giant Q-tips." Rory was saying.

"They definitely look like them!" Charlotte called down the phone.

"Great, now I can't get giant Q-tips out of my head. It's too powerful a visual!" Lorelai said.

"I know, I'm sorry." Rory said.

"So how is it?" Lorelai said.

"It's good so far." Rory smiled. "Here talk to Charlotte."

"Hey mom!" Charlotte smiled.

"Hey hon, you're having fun?"

"Yeah we're having fun."

"How much fun?"

"We've not had a drink yet." She smirked.

"Ok, are you sure you weren't drinking and that's why you think they're giant Q-tips?" Lorelai joked.

Charlotte suddenly saw the cute guy from yesterday and watched him walk up to the bar. She then remembered she was on the phone. "Uh...maybe." She said.

"Hello? What just happened?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Charlotte said.

"You sound distracted." She said.

"Uh..no. No, I was just trying to think of something better to describe the..uh..the giant Q-tips. So we'll call you later, ok?" Charlotte said.

"No windows."

"No windows." Charlotte said hanging up to find Madeline, Louise and Paris all smiling at her. "What?"

"Excellent taste." Louise teased.

"What's his name?" Madeline asked.

"Whose name?" Charlotte said.

"The guy you were just staring at." Louise said.

"I wasn't staring." Charlotte said.

"Oh no, the twins!" Madeline suddenly said.

"God, they're everywhere." Louise exclaimed.

"We'll see you guys tonight." Madeline said before they both left.

"Hey, why don't you go get us something at the bar?" Paris told Charlotte.

"What?"

"Then you can go talk to that guy." Paris said.

"Paris..." Rory warned.

"What?" Paris exclaimed. "She's single now, she's allowed to move on."

"Paris is right. I am allowed to move on." Charlotte said.

"Charlie..."

"Rory, I'm over Jess ok! I'm going to get something from the bar. You want anything?"

"No I'm good." Rory sighed, watching Charlotte walk off. She knew her sister wasn't over Jess yet.

Charlotte walked up to the bar and found herself standing next to the guy. "Oh..hi." She said.

"Hey." He smiled.

"I'm..uh..Charlotte."

"Sean." He said.

Charlotte nodded. She felt stupid not knowing what to say. " Hey..uh.. do you know what those things are called that they hit each other in the pool with?" She asked cringing even as she said it.

"No, I don't." Sean said.

"Oh, just wondering." Charlotte said, still cringing.

"Do I lose points for that?" He smiled.

Charlotte looked up and smiled. "No. No points lost."

"Good." He smiled.

"Hey, Sean, man, come on!" Another guy called.

"I've got to go. See ya." Sean smiled.

"Oh, okay. See ya." Charlotte said. She then let out a breath when he left.

"I must be crazy for thinking a banana-eating contest was about eating a banana!" Paris suddenly exclaimed rushing past Charlotte, leaving Charlotte watching on amused.

* * *

That evening, the girls all went to a club where a band called The Shins were playing.

"Wow, quite a scene." Rory said.

"Yeah, I guess we found the hot place tonight." Paris nodded.

"Well no one can sniff out the hip like we can." Charlotte grinned.

"Ok, so, here we are. We should do something." Paris said.

"What?" Rory asked.

"I don't know." Paris said.

"God you two are so new at this!" Charlotte laughed. "How about we dance?"

"Dance...ok, sure. We can dance." Paris said.

"Yeah let's dance." Rory said.

"Hey, I think your husband's here." Paris told Charlotte spotting Sean behind her.

"What? Where?" Charlotte asked turning round. Sean saw her and smiled which she reciprocated.

"Why don't you go buy him a drink?" Paris asked.

"What, like a nice ginger ale?" Charlotte smirked.

"Well, maybe you could get Madeline and Louise to buy a drink for you and then you could go bring it to him." Paris suggested.

Charlotte hesitated before glancing back at Sean who was still watching her. "Sure. Ok." She said walking up.

"Quit encouraging her." Rory told Paris.

"Why?" Paris said.

"She's not over Jess."

"She said she was."

"Yeah but she's not. Trust me, she's not." Rory said.

"Oh..well..this is Spring Break, if anything does happen she probably won't ever see him again." Paris shrugged.

Rory sighed. "I just worry about her, that's all."

Meanwhile, Charlotte had managed to get two drinks off Madeline and Louise before walking over to Sean. "Hi." She said nervously. "Here, I got you a drink."

"Thanks." Sean smiled, taking it.

"So cool scene, right?" Charlotte said.

Sean chuckled. "How long will you keep going on like this?"

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"Well how long before we can do it?" Sean asked.

"Excuse me? Do what?" Charlotte asked.

"This." Sean smiled before cupping her face towards his and leaning down, before kissing her gently on the lips.

"Uh..wow.." Charlotte said quietly as he pulled away afterwards. "That was..."

"Yeah." Sean smiled before leaning in again but this time Charlotte pulled away. "Is something wrong?"

"No..I mean yes...but it's nothing to do with you." Charlotte said suddenly feeling tears in her eyes.

"Charlotte?" Sean said confused.

"I'm sorry. This was...great...but I have to go. I'm sorry." She rambled before rushing off. She found Rory outside. "Can we go?" She asked.

"Yes please." Rory grumbled.

"What's up with you?" Charlotte asked.

"Paris just kissed me." Rory exclaimed.

Despite everything, Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"Long story." Rory sighed. "So what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." She said quickly. "Just got too hot in there. Need some fresh air, that's all."

"Ok, let's go." Rory said.

* * *

Later that night Madeline, Louise, Paris, Rory and Charlotte were sat by the pool again at a table at the bar.

"I think the two of you would make a great couple." Madeline teased Rory and Paris.

"No way." Rory said.

"Why not?" Paris asked.

"You're way too high maintenance for me!" Rory said.

"The whole place was buzzing about the kiss." Louise smirked.

"Even the twins were jealous." Madeline grinned.

"Super, great. Love to hear that." Rory sighed.

"I can't believe I missed it!" Charlotte laughed.

"Well you were too busy kissing that cute guy." Madeline said.

"You what?" Rory turned to Charlotte surprised.

"It was nothing. Spur of the moment thing." Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlie..." Rory said.

"Seriously, Rory, it was nothing. It shouldn't have happened." She said.

"Ok..." Rory said.

Madeline went off to get some more punch for them and brought it back to the table.

"Why is there two of you?" Charlotte asked Rory.

"Why is there two of you?" Rory asked causing the others to laugh.

"Good punch!" Madeline smiled triumphantly.

"Just keep us away from any windows." Rory joked.

"So whatever happened to that boyfriend of yours?" Louise asked Charlotte.

"What?" Charlotte's head shot up.

"Yeah he was hot." Madeline nodded.

"Madeline, Louise..." Rory said, subtly shaking her head.

"What was his name? Jess?" Madeline continued, ignoring Rory.

"Uh..yeah.." Charlotte said quietly.

"So what happened?" Louise asked.

"Nothing. We just..uh..didn't work out." Charlotte said.

"That's too bad." Louise said. "He was gorgeous."

"I guess..." Charlotte said uncomfortably.

"Do you still talk?" Madeline asked subtly swiping Charlotte's cell phone.

"Not really." Charlotte said.

"Really? You're cell phone friends though." Madeline said.

"You have your ex-boyfriend's number in your cell phone?" Louise asked.

"I just haven't got round to deleting it yet." Charlotte mumbled.

"First loves are very intense." Louise said.

"My mom's still in love with her first love. She tells my father that over and over and...oops, I think I just dialled his number!" Madeline grinned.

"What?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Madeline..." Rory said.

"Oh my god, it's ringing!" She said holding it up to her ear.

"Hang up!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"It's his voice mail. Oh, sexy voice. Oops, I think it's going to...it beeped." Madeline grinned handing Charlotte her phone. "Talk."

"What?" Charlotte exclaimed her eyes widening. She pressed the phone to her ear. "Jess...hi..." She said quietly, glaring at Madeline and Louise who were laughing and grinning. "It's Charlotte. Well...you already know that. I'm sorry. We're on Spring Break and I don't know if you remember Madeline and Louise but they're evil..." She said sending them another glare. "And they were asking about you. I'm sorry. I..uh..I'll just say goodbye now and never bother you again. I'm sorry." She said quietly before hanging out. "Oh my god, I'm going to kill you both!" She exclaimed, glaring at Madeline and Louise. "I'm so going to kill you and it's going to bad and death-like and...well I'm going to go for a walk because this punch is starting to live up to its name." She said.

"I'll go with you." Paris said.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute." Rory said.

"Don't move because I'm going to come back to kill you!" Charlotte told Madeline and Louise.

"We'll be here." Madeline grinned watching them leave.

"What were you thinking guys? Charlotte's not over Jess yet." Rory exclaimed.

"Exactly." Madeline smiled.

"What?" Rory said confused.

"It's so obvious she's not over him. We were just giving her a helping hand." Louise smirked.

"You planned this?" Rory asked.

"Well she's left a message now. I'm guessing they'll be back together by next week." Madeline nodded. "They were really good together."

"And they'll have us to thank." Louise grinned.

"I really never know what to expect with you." Rory shook her head but she smirked slightly. "See you around."

"Bye!" Madeline grinned.

"See ya!" Louise smirked.

* * *

"So I call this place where you were supposedly staying and some punk at the desk tells me..." Lorelai was saying to Charlotte on the phone the following morning.

"We said we were sorry." Charlotte said.

"He says 'I'm sorry, ma'am, they're not here anymore.' My heart flew out of my chest. And not just because he called me ma'am. Which by the way, I hate." She exclaimed.

"We didn't mean to freak you out." Charlotte said.

"You don't take off without telling Mommy." Lorelai said.

"I love that we didn't have to clear it with you to go on spring break, but we had to clear it with you to come home." Charlotte smirked.

"I had visions of you being swallowed by a whale or taking off with some surfers to go chase the perfect wave and not inviting me." Lorelai pouted.

"It just got to be way too much fun." Charlotte said.

"Yeah? How much is too much?" She asked.

"We had a drink. Madeline and Louise are bad influences." She said.

"And?" Lorelai asked.

"Paris, Rory and I took turns throwing up." Charlotte grimaced.

"Oh dear." Lorelai said.

"It was fine. Aspirin, tons of water, mac and cheese..." Charlotte said.

"Ahh, my babies discovered their first hangover food. I wish I had a picture to put next to your clay handprints." Lorelai joked.

"I think we still have the box." She joked.

"Send it to me. So how was it?" She asked.

"It was interesting, you know?" She said hesitantly. "We sat on the beach, went to a club, we watched 'The Power of Myth', Paris and Rory kissed..." She said deliberately leaving out details about herself.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You watched 'The Power of Myth'?" Lorelai exclaimed.

Charlotte smirked. "That's what you take out of it."

"I hid that from you!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Charlotte smirked. Just then the other phone line beeped. "I have to go. I have another call." She said.

"Ok hon. Speak later?" Lorelai said.

"Sure. Bye mom!"

"Bye."

Charlotte then pressed a button to get to the other line. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey." Jess voice came across the line.

"Jess..." Charlotte said surprised. "Hi..."

 **So I hope you liked it! Sorry again about the delay in getting this chapter up! Please keep the reviews coming. I love reading what you think so thank you! :) It's your continued support that really keeps me going and motivated. :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**Sorry for the delay again! I was away for the weekend again and I didn't take my laptop for me so I couldn't write. Anyway, here's the next chapter! :) Also, AJ just wanted to say I really appreciate your reviews. They have really made me think about things. As for the timing, I may be skipping some episode but I'm still having that time pass so hope that's ok! :)**

Chapter 41

"I got your message..." Jess said.

"Oh god, Jess I'm so sorry..." Charlotte cringed. "Madeline dialled your number and just threw the phone at me..."

"It's cool." He said.

"Ok. Good." Charlotte said awkwardly.

"Yup." Jess said just as awkwardly.

"So..uh..how are you doing?" She asked.

"Ok." Jess said. "I'm graduating on Monday. Finally."

"Wow, has the year really gone that quickly?" Charlotte said.

"Feels long to me." Jess smirked.

"Well yeah, I'm sure, but...wow, that's great, Jess! So you got good results?" She asked.

"Pretty good." He nodded.

"I knew you could do it! I knew it." Charlotte smiled.

"I know you did." Jess said.

"So are you having a ceremony and everything?" Charlotte teased.

"Yup. Luke is in his proud mode and insists on being there so I can't bail." Jess said.

"Well Luke deserves to be proud. You should be proud." She said.

"Yeah..well..it's thanks to you. You made me believe." He said.

Charlotte went quiet. "So..I should probably go. Still got to do some work before my last final." She said, turning awkward again.

"Ok." Jess said going back to his monosyllabic mode.

"So..uh..good luck on Friday." She said.

"Thanks."

Charlotte sighed. "Bye Jess." She said softly.

"Bye." He said hanging up.

* * *

The following morning, Luke was taking chairs off the tables, getting the diner ready for the day with Jess when he spotted someone sat on the steps outside. "Who's that?" He asked Jess.

Jess went and opened the door and smirked when he saw who it was. "I think she belongs to you."

Luke went over and was surprised to see Lorelai there. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I need coffee." She said.

"It's 5:00 in the morning. Make coffee at your own house." Luke said.

"I did. I drank it all." Lorelai said.

"You drank all the coffee in your house before five in the morning?" Luke asked.

"Good luck." Jess smirked before disappearing upstairs.

"Big gulps, lots of sugar." She nodded.

"Alright, get up." Luke said pulling her up and taking her inside.

"And just a little bit of cream because it makes it cold." Lorelai continued.

"Keep moving." Luke said leading her to a table and sitting her down.

"I can't sleep! I can't turn my mind off! It keeps running and thinking and making lists!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Maybe if you drank a little less coffee, you'd make a little less lists." Luke commented.

"Oh I can't stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking coffee, I stop doing the standing and walking and the words putting-into-sentence doing."Lorelai said.

"I'll make you some coffee." Luke smirked.

Lorelai sighed sleepily. "If I could move, I would hug you. In fact, in my mind, I am hugging you and also I'm telling the plumbers that there's no water pressure in rooms 10, 12, and 15." She said.

"I'm making you some oatmeal." Luke said.

"I don't like oatmeal." Lorelai frowned.

"You've got to eat something healthy." He pointed out.

"Oh man, I'm so completely stressed. I can't remember what I'm doing from one moment to the next. It's never going to get done!" She sighed.

"It will get done, don't worry." He reassured her.

"No it won't get done and the inn won't open and then I'll go broke. How do you do it?" She asked.

"Do what? Go broke?" He teased.

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Run this place, handle all the stress? And stop teasing me, I'm not in the mood!"

"Noted." Luke smirked. "This place isn't stressful." He told her.

"It's not?"

"Well, actually at this moment, it is a little." He said.

"Maybe I can't handle it. Do you think I can handle it?"

"I already told you you could handle it."

"When?"

"Quite a while ago."

"Did I believe you?"

"Apparently, you didn't even listen to me." He smirked. "But honestly, you can do this. I believe in you." He smiled softly.

Lorelai sighed but smiled back. "Thanks." She said. "Oh, hey, you should come and have a tour of the inn before it opens!" She said.

"Why?"

"Well because you invested in the place." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai..." Luke sighed.

"Ok fine. But I would really like you to see it...as my partner. Please? It's looking really good." She smiled.

Luke sighed but smiled. "Tell me the time and place and I'll be there." He said.

"Great, ok!" Lorelai smiled.

"Now you're a bit calmer, I wanted to ask you something." He said.

"Shoot." She said.

"Jess is graduating on Monday." Luke told her.

"Aw that's nice! Is he excited?"

"Jess? Excited?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Ok maybe not excited but he must be happy right?" Lorelai asked.

"I think he's happy he doesn't have to bother with school now, yeah." He nodded.

"I'm sure! So is he having a ceremony?" She asked.

"Yeah...actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Now I know it might be weird because of Charlotte but I've got two tickets to his graduation. I'd really like it if you would come..." He said.

"Oh..uh.." Lorelai said surprised.

"I know it's weird and I know Jess probably wouldn't car either way but..." Luke rambled.

"I'll be there." Lorelai smiled.

"Really?" He said surprised.

"You came to Rory and Charlotte's graduation. Of course I'll come to Jess'." She said.

"Ok. Good. Thanks." He said letting out a breath.

"Now where's my coffee?" She smirked.

"Coming right up." Luke rolled his eyes.

* * *

Later that day, Jess was in Andrew's bookstore looking at a certain shelf before pulling some audio books off the shelves and going up to the counter with them under his arm.

"Did you find what you need?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Jess said. "What are you doing?" He asked when Andrew reached for the books.

"I have to ring them up." Andrew said.

"I'll just tell you the prices." Jess said quickly.

"Jess..." Andrew sighed.

Jess scowled. "Fine. Here." He said handing them over.

Andrew looked at them in surprise but didn't say anything. "Here." He said handing them back.

"Thanks." Jess mumbled taking them and putting them in a bag. He paid and then turned to leave.

"Hey Jess?" Andrew said.

"Yeah?" Jess turned back.

"What are your plans after graduation?" He asked.

"Why?"

"Well I could do with some help in here if you're interested?" Andrew said.

"In here?" Jess asked surprised.

"Only if you're interested? I just know you're in here a lot anyway."

"Yeah. I..uh..I'd like that." Jess nodded.

"Great!" Andrew smiled. "And..uh..good luck with those!" He said.

Jess smirked slightly. "Thanks." He rolled his eyes before leaving.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai was at home placing a pizza on the candy filled coffee table as Rory and Charlotte walked through the door.

"Hello." Rory smiled coming in.

"Hi mom!" Charlotte smiled.

"Did you bring the Nutter Butters?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, we're fine, Mother. We missed you, too." Charlotte smirked throwing her some nutter butters.

"Ah, we have achieved culinary perfection." Lorelai grinned.

"What's with the carrots? Is Luke coming over?" Rory asked.

"No. I was just afraid you weren't eating right at school." Lorelai shrugged.

"Ah." Rory said as the two sisters sat down.

"Marshmallow?" Lorelai asked offering them both one.

"Thank you. Oh, man, I've missed Al's Chinese night!" Charlotte said.

"Oh, he's got a new thing now! Chicken chow mein sandwich." Lorelai grinned.

"Geez..." Charlotte screwed up her face.

"So what exactly was Grandma's excuse for cancelling this Friday night dinner?" Rory asked.

"That Dad was travelling and she had a function." Lorelai told them.

"It was that generic?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Yeah! She put no thought into it and it was muffled, but at the end of the call I do believe I heard a knock and someone yelling, 'turndown service.'" She said.

"Living in a hotel." Rory sighed.

"And hiding it." Lorelai said.

"Poor Grandma. We should talk to them." Charlotte said.

"We?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, you. We're still children." Charlotte grinned.

"Talking is not my parents' thing. It would humiliate them if they knew that we knew that they are...whatever they are." She sighed.

"So we do nothing?" Rory asked.

"I guess we wait until one of them cracks." Lorelai said.

"Ok." Rory sighed. "Man, how many tapes are we watching tonight?" She asked.

"Well, every time I started watching something that I thought you would like, I stopped watching it and I saved it for when we could watch it together so I watched the first 10 minutes of 12 movies." Lorelai said.

"Aww that's sweet!" Charlotte grinned.

"So which one are we going to watch?" Rory asked.

"Mmm...the absolute funniest movie known to man. 'Fatso'." Lorelai grinned.

"Oooh I'm loving the title." Rory laughed.

"Anne Bancroft wrote and directed it." Lorelai said.

"Well, Annie Sullivan, look at you go. So how's everything at the inn coming along?" Charlotte asked.

"Everyone's freaking out because I got a million things to do but we finally got the pictures up and the beds were delivered today." Lorelai said.

"I'm sure everything will come together." Charlotte smiled supportively at her.

"Let's hope so." Lorelai sighed. She glanced at her and then turned to Rory. "Hey, I forgot the popcorn. Can you warm some up?" She asked.

"Sure." Rory smiled getting up and disappearing into the kitchen.

Lorelai glanced at Charlotte. "So..uh..Jess is graduating soon..." She said cautiously.

"Yeah..on Monday." Charlotte nodded.

"You already know?" She said surprised.

"Jess told me." Charlotte said quietly.

"You spoke to Jess?" Lorelai asked softly.

"Just briefly." Charlotte said. She sighed when Lorelai looked at her questioningly. "It was all Madeline and Louise's fault. We got a bit drunk at spring break and Madeline decided it would be fun to call Jess. It went to answer phone and she threw the phone at me. I left an embarrassing message, he rang back and that was that. We didn't talk long." She shrugged.

"Well ok..." Lorelai said. "Look, Luke's invited me to the graduation. I wanted to check with you first to make sure you'd be ok with me going."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Charlotte asked.

"Charlie..." Lorelai said softly.

She sighed. "I'm fine, mom."

"Really?"

"Lots of people break up. It's fine." Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlie..."

Charlotte sighed. "Ok I miss him ok? I do miss him. But...we broke up. I have to deal with that."

"I won't go if you don't want me to." She said softly.

"No. You should go." Charlotte said. "Luke came to ours graduation. You should go." She smiled. "I'm fine with it. Really."

"Ok. But you know you can always talk to me right? About anything?" Lorelai said softly.

Charlotte smiled at her. "I know. Thanks mom." She said softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke walked into the apartment and saw Jess lying on his bed. "Hey."

"Hey." Jess said.

"So..uh..I saw your mom today." Luke said cautiously.

"Good for you." Jess said, his eyes glued to his book.

"With TJ."

"Poor you." Jess said.

Luke sighed. "They're getting married." He said.

Jess stopped reading for a moment. "Huh." He said.

"She was adamant I tell you after...well...after what happened last time." Luke said.

"Well good for her." Jess said sarcastically.

"Jess..." Luke sighed.

"What? What do you expect me to say?" Jess said sitting up on his bed. "The last time I saw Liz was when I got angry at Charlotte remember? So I'm sorry if I'm not over the moon about her getting married because quite frankly, I couldn't care less about her when she broke up my relationship!"

"Jess, you were the one that..."

"Pushed Charlotte, I know!" He exclaimed. "And I have to live with that everyday! But I can't deal with Liz at the moment!"

"She wanted me to ask you if you would give her away..." Luke sighed.

"Seriously?" Jess scoffed.

Luke sighed and went and sat down next to him. "I know your relationship with your mom is bad." He said.

"Bad?" Jess snorted.

"Ok more than bad. But Jess...you know I love you right? You know I like having you here but your mom...she's my sister too. I know what she did to you and I don't agree with how she treated you ok? But you two are the only family I have left. Family matters, Jess. It really matters and I don't want to lose anymore of my family." Luke said. He sighed. "If you don't want to do it for your mom, do it for me. I want you there, Jess. Please."

Jess sighed and glanced at him. "Seriously? You have to play the family card?"

"Please Jess. Do you really think I can deal with TJ alone?" He joked.

Jess smirked slightly. "Fine." He said.

"Thank you." Luke smiled. "It means a lot to me."

"Yeah yeah whatever!" Jess said rolling his eyes and going back to his book. "We done?"

"Yeah, we're done." Luke smirked. He went over to his bed to get changed. He glanced over at his nephew who he saw glance at the table next to his bed. Luke saw him look at a photo of him and Charlotte. Jess then sighed, put his book down and got into bed facing the opposite way. Luke sighed and got ready for bed himself.

* * *

Charlotte was surprised to see Luke at the door of their dorm at Yale on Sunday evening. "Hi.."

"Hey.." Luke said.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Oh no, nothing's wrong." He said.

"Have you come and asked for our permission to ask mom to marry you again?" Charlotte teased.

Luke chuckled. "No."

"Well come in." Charlotte said slightly confused. "Rory's not here at the moment..."

"Oh that's ok. It's you I wanted to talk about." He admitted.

"Ok..."

Luke sighed. "Look, I know this is weird but Jess is graduating tomorrow. Your mom was going to come with me but she's got caught up with stuff with the inn. It's crazy over there apparently. So..uh..I was wondering if you wanted to come..."

"Oh..uh.." Charlotte said surprised, sitting down.

Luke sat down next to her. "He told me what happened between you two..." He admitted hesitantly.

"He did?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah...and I want you to know I don't condone what he did at all. I told him that and he knows what he did was very wrong. And I totally understand why you..uh..broke up." He said awkwardly. "But..well...this is big for him. Graduating. And I know it would mean a lot to him if you were there."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "Does he know you're here?" She asked.

"No." Luke admitted.

"Luke, I..." Charlotte started.

"Look, I don't want to pressure you or anything. I just wanted to give you this." He said giving her the extra ticket. "You don't need to come. I won't tell him I asked you so he won't know if you decide not to come. And I would totally respect your decision. But I just wanted to give you the choice."

"Ok. Thanks." She said quietly.

"Well that's all really." Luke said getting up. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"No it's ok." Charlotte smiled reassuringly at him. She watched him go to leave. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" He said turning round.

"He's ok right?" She asked quietly.

Luke smiled at her. "He's doing good." He said softly.

"Ok. Good. I'm glad." She said.

"He misses you though." Luke said. "I can tell. Anyway, I'll..uh..leave you to it. Take care."

"Bye Luke." Charlotte smiled softly, watching him leave. She glanced down at the ticket, sighed and then disappeared off into her room.

 **So I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for your continued support! Please keep the reviews coming! :)**


	43. Chapter 43

**Thank you for your continued support! You guys are the best! :)**

Chapter 42

Luke glanced at the empty seat next to him as he sat waiting for Jess' graduation ceremony to start. He sighed to himself. He was really hoping Charlotte would show up. He understood why she'd obviously decided not to come but he was slightly disappointed. He was soon brought out of his thoughts when the ceremony started and Jess' name was read out. Luke smiled as he watched Jess walk across the stage and receive his diploma from the headmaster. He didn't care if he embarrassed Jess but he stood up and started clapping loudly. He saw Jess glance in his direction briefly and the roll his eyes before exiting the stage.

Luke waited for him outside afterwards and he soon appeared. "Hey." He smiled.

"Were you trying to embarrass me?" Jess asked.

"Yep." Luke smirked.

"Job done. Thanks." Jess rolled his eyes.

Luke chuckled and then smiled at him. "I'm very proud of you, Jess." He said genuinely.

Jess stopped for a moment and glanced at him. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

"Hi.." A voice suddenly said from behind them.

They both looked round. "Charlotte..." Luke said pleasantly surprised. "I thought you hadn't come."

"I was a couple minutes late and I didn't want to make a scene so I just snuck in and sat at the back." She said.

Luke glanced at Jess who hadn't said anything. "Well I should get back to the diner. See you there?" He asked him.

Jess just nodded and watched him leave. He then looked back at Charlotte. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Luke gave me his spare ticket seeing as my mom couldn't come." She said.

"Oh.." Jess said.

"He didn't tell you?" Charlotte asked surprised. She knew Luke said he wouldn't but she was still surprised he hadn't.

"Not a word." Jess said.

"Oh..so..uh..congratulations!" Charlotte said giving him a nervous smile.

"Thanks." Jess said smirking slightly.

"I guess my tutoring for one afternoon really helped." She joked.

"Oh yeah, that was it." Jess chuckled.

Charlotte grinned, relaxing slightly. "So are you going to celebrate?"

"Oh yeah, that's me. Party boy." He smirked. "Nah I'm helping out in the diner this afternoon." He glanced at her. "So..uh..my mom's getting married..." He said.

"What? Seriously?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"To that TJ guy." Jess nodded.

"Wow...that's..uh..wow..." She said.

"Yup." He said.

"When is it?" She asked.

"Saturday. In the square." He told her.

"Are you going?" She asked cautiously.

"I have to give her away." Jess admitted.

"You're giving her away?" Charlotte asked stunned.

"Luke asked me to. Couldn't say no to him. He played the family card." Jess said.

"Yeah..well Luke is all about family." Charlotte nodded.

"Yup."

"So..uh..I should get going. I told my mom I'd help her with stuff at the inn. Maybe...maybe I'll see you around?" She asked hesitantly.

Jess nodded. "Yeah.." She watched him turn to leave. "Charlotte?" He said.

"Yeah?" She said turning back round.

"Thanks for coming." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. "Congratulations Jess." She said softly.

* * *

On the Friday, Miss Patty was in the square trying to get a group of children to dance around a Maypole as Kirk watched from the side of the gazebo.

"No, no, boys. You go clockwise! Clockwise! Can't you tell time?" Miss Patty exclaimed.

"The other way, boys!" Chrissy the dance teacher said. "They're not getting it, Miss Patty."

"Well, the wedding's tomorrow. We've got to get it." Miss Patty sighed.

"It's the Banyan boys. They won't do what I tell them." Chrissy sighed.

"Nice maypole, Patty! Really organized!" Kirk shouted from the side.

"Oh, shut up, Kirk!" Miss Patty said just as Lorelai and Charlotte walked up.

"Tough day, Patty?" Lorelai smiled sympthetically.

"I've worked with Joan Crawford. This is worse." She sighed.

"I don't call that a maypole. I'd call that a maybe-not pole." Kirk called.

"What's with him?" Charlotte smirked.

"He's mad because I made Chrissy my dance captain over him." She told them.

"Kirk has forty-three jobs." Lorelai said.

"Would you go talk to him, please? I got my hands full here." Miss Patty asked.

"The Banyan boys?" Lorelai guessed.

"Oh! Lucifer tired of them in hell and dumped them here." She said dramatically.

"I'll talk to Kirk." Lorelai smirked and she and Charlotte walked off towards Kirk. "Hey, Kirk, maybe you want to ease up on Patty a little?" She suggested.

"But the maypole is an expertise of mine. I re-enacted the dwarf's maypole choreography from 'The Safety Dance' video, my junior-high talent show. Chicks were falling at my feet." He said. "I'm less than impressed, Patty!" He called.

"Take a break, please." Lorelai said.

"Yeah we've all seen Miss Patty get violent. It's not pretty. Remember that time?" Charlotte smirked.

"That's when she beat me up." Kirk said.

"Yeah. Let's not repeat that." Lorelai suggested.

"Ok." He said before walking off.

"Thank god!" Lorelai exclaimed. "So you finished your last final this morning?" She asked Charlotte.

"Yep. I'm all done. Poor Rory has one tomorrow though. I don't envy her." Charlotte said.

"So you're free now then?" Lorelai smiled. "You should come to the wedding tomorrow. It'll be fun."

Charlotte suddenly spotted Jess sat on a bench reading. She locked eyes with him for a minute before turning back to her mom. "Yeah...maybe..." She said.

Lorelai followed her gaze to Jess. "Oh. Sorry, I should have been more sensitive. I'd understand if you didn't want to come." She smiled sympathetically.

"No, it's ok. Jess and I are fine. You're right, it should be fun. I've never been to a renaissance wedding before." Charlotte grinned.

"You sure?" Lorelai asked.

Charlotte glanced back over to Jess who gave her a small smile before getting up and heading back towards the diner. "Yeah I'm sure." She said.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai went with Charlotte to Mrs Kim's to buy a doorknob. As Mrs Kim was wrapping it, she handed Lorelai a pile of mail. "Here." She said.

"What's this?" Lorelai asked.

"Mail for Lane. I know you go to Luke's, where she works. If you could pass this on to her, I would appreciate it." She said.

"Mrs. Kim, hasn't this gone on long enough?" Lorelai sighed. She knew Lane and her mother's estrangement had been hard on both of them.

"Not for you to say." Mrs Kim said.

"Lane misses you, Mrs Kim." Charlotte tried. "Why don't you try calling her? Or go and see her?"

"This is between me and my daughter." Mrs Kim said.

"Well, as your mailman, I hereby resign." Lorelai said putting the mail down.

"Fine." Mrs Kim said. She looked at Charlotte. "You give it to Lane. Or give it to your boyfriend to give to her. I know he's in the band."

"Oh..uh..he's not my boyfriend anymore." Charlotte said quietly.

"Fine. Then give it to Lane please." She said.

"I resign too." Charlotte said.

"Fine. It comes to $140." Mrs Kim said handing Lorelai the doorknob.

"You said ninety." Lorelai said, glancing at Charlotte who was smirking.

"Wrapping charge." She said.

* * *

Charlotte entered the diner and she saw who she assumed was Liz and her friends sit at one of the tables laughing. She hadn't actually met her the last time she was here. Luke was working on a plate of turkey legs at the counter so she headed to the end stool. "Hey Luke!" She smiled.

"Hey Charlotte, finished your last final?" He asked.

"This morning." She nodded.

"Bet you're relieved." Luke said.

"I do feel less stressed!" Charlotte nodded. She noticed him frowning at the turkey legs. "Having trouble?" She asked.

"I have no idea how to do these." He admitted. "Hey Liz? Do you have any idea if I'm doing this right?" He asked.

"Most guys don't know if they're doing it right." Carrie smirked causing them all to go into a fit of giggles.

"Uh, not my expertise, bro, but they smell good if that helps." Liz smiled.

"Well, there should have been an instruction book of some kind." Luke grumbled.

"Oh hey! I'm Liz." Liz smiled, noticing Charlotte.

"Hi." Charlotte smiled politely.

"Oh sorry, yeah Liz, this is Charlotte. One of Lorelai's daughters." Luke told her.

"Oh right! It's great to meet you!" Liz smiled.

"Yeah..uh..you too." Charlotte nodded.

"Is this how turkey legs are supposed to look?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. Take off your pants and let us see." Carrie said.

"Does mom have competition or something?" Charlotte smirked.

"Nope. That's crazy Carrie. She's called that for a reason." Luke said. "Weren't you guys going to a spa or something?" He asked.

"Yeah we're going, right?" Liz said.

"In a minute." One of her friends said.

Jess suddenly appeared from upstairs. "I need to get some batteries. I'll be back." Jess told Luke. He then stopped when he saw Charlotte sat there. "Oh..hi.." He said.

"Hi." Charlotte gave him a small smile.

"Jess! Jess! Come over here and meet my oldest friends!" Liz enthused.

Charlotte noticed Jess tense up slightly but she was surprised when he headed towards her. She watched as Liz introduced him and gushed over him until a man dressed in a delivery uniform came in.

"Can I help you?" Luke asked.

"Got a package here." He said.

Charlotte noticed Carrie and the other woman sit up straighter and suddenly had an idea what it was. She glanced at Jess who seemed to have realised as well.

"From who? I'm not expecting anything." Luke said still oblivious.

"It's a very important package." The man said.

"But there's no address on it." Luke said.

"Have fun." Jess said with a smirk before making a hasty exit.

"Have fun with what?" Luke exclaimed.

"This package is for Liz Danes." He said.

"Oh that's me." Liz said surprised.

"Do you accept delivery?"

"I guess..." She laughed.

Charlotte smirked as the man pulled out a cassette player and started playing some music before starting to strip.

"Shake it, doll, shake it!" Carrie grinned.

"No, don't shake it in here!" Luke exclaimed. He glanced outside to see Jess give him a wave before walking off. He walked back to the counter. "You knew who he was, didn't you?" He grumbled.

"It was pretty obvious." Charlotte grinned.

"And you didn't warn me because?"

"It was funnier this way." She grinned.

"You are too like your mother." He grumbled.

"Thanks!" Charlotte grinned as she watched him disappear into the kitchen.

* * *

The following morning, Luke and Jess were dressing for the wedding.

"What is wrong with this shoe polish?" Luke grumbled as he tried to polish his shoes as he sat on his bed.

"Pontius Pilate was alive when you bought it?" Jess smirked.

"Shoe polish goes bad?" Luke asked.

"It's all chunky." Jess pointed out.

"Aah, it messed up my shoes." Luke grumbled.

"Just wipe them off. They'll be fine."

Just then TJ appeared from the bathroom. "Don't you have a full-length mirror?" He asked.

"Don't need one." Luke said.

"You don't like looking at your bottom half? I love looking at my bottom half." TJ said.

"I look down to look at my bottom half. I don't need a mirror to do that." Luke said dryly.

"You seem nervous." TJ commented to Jess who was fiddling with the collar of his shirt. "I don't see why you would be. I'm the one getting shackled today."

"Maybe because it's time you put on a shirt." Jess commented sarcastically.

"Why, am I getting you hot?"

"Geez, I need the bathroom." Jess said heading over to it.

"Just hold on." Luke said holding up two ties in the mirror.

"That one." Jess pointed.

"Thanks." Luke said.

"You trying to get laid or something tonight?" Jess smirked.

"Shut it." Luke said. "Right it's all yours."

"Thanks." Jess said.

"Hang on a minute." Luke said. "Are you doing ok?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I know today is hard for you. You and your mom." Luke said quietly.

"It's fine." Jess said.

"And it's ok to be nervous. I know Charlotte's going to be there." He said.

"Charlotte's coming?" Jess asked surprised.

"You didn't know?" Luke asked surprised.

"Does this look like someone who knew?"

"Ok, well..." Luke sighed. "Look, if you miss her, talk to her. If you want to get her back, talk to her."

"She won't want me back." Jess grumbled.

"You don't know if you don't try." Luke said.

"Just drop it." Jess said.

"Fine." Luke sighed. "She misses you too though. I can tell."

"I need the bathroom. Will you move?" Jess said.

Luke sighed but left him to it.

* * *

Luke left first and was standing outside the diner waiting for Lorelai and Charlotte who appeared wearing renaissance type dresses and a flower wreath in their hair.

"Greetings, my lord!" Lorelai grinned.

"Your ladies hath arrived to be escorted forthwith." Charlotte grinned.

"That's pretty good. I didn't know you spoke Renaissance." Luke smirked.

"Oh yeah. We're quite fluent in Renaissance. You look nice. I'm loving the tie." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks. You look beautiful." Luke smiled.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend." Lorelai grinned, giving him a kiss.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Charlotte said.

"You look great too." Luke said.

"Why thank you kind sir!" She grinned. "Now shall you kind gentleman escort us to the wedding?"

"I shall. Let's go." Luke smirked.

A little while later, after Lorelai had disappeared off to help Liz fix her dress, the three of them were sat near the front waiting for the wedding to start. Soon everyone stood up and the band started playing.

"Must be starting." Luke said.

"Think they know any Zeppelin?" Lorelai joked as two women danced down the aisle tossing roses. "Ooh, roses, nice!"

"Does she remind you of someone?" Luke asked.

"Can you say Leslie Van Houten?" Lorelai joked.

A jester then tumbled down the aisle. "Impressive." Charlotte said.

"Yeah." Luke said as everyone started clapping.

TJ then walked down the aisle going on about how great his tights felt. He got to the front and waited just as Liz appeared on a cart. She got out and Jess appeared next to her, linking arms with her. Charlotte glanced at him and sent him a small smile which he reciprocated. Jess then glanced at Luke who smiled at him and winked, causing him to look away quickly.

"She looks happy." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, she does." Luke said watching as Jess sat down in front of them.

"Where's the minister?" Lorelai asked but she didn't need an answer as the minister strolled into the gazebo singing and strumming a guitar.

"Help." Luke said trying not to laugh.

"Think of something not funny." Charlotte smirked.

"Can't." He said as Liz and TJ plunged the ceremonial sword into a tree stump.

"Avalanches, earthquakes..." Lorelai said.

"Not doing it." Luke said.

"Famine...and I'm out." Lorelai smirked.

As they continued to watch, Liz and TJ exchanged sincere vows and their laughter subsided.

"Ah that wasn't funny." Lorelai smiled.

"No, that wasn't funny at all." Luke smiled.

* * *

Later that evening, after the dinner, Liz walked over to Jess who was seated at the side by himself. "Hi.." She said, sitting down next to him.

"Hey." Jess said.

"Thank you for today." Liz smiled softly.

"No big deal." Jess shrugged.

"It was a very big deal." Liz said softly. " And before you say anything, I know you did it because Luke asked and not for me."

Jess glanced at her. "Do you blame me?" He asked.

"No." Liz said. "I know I haven't been a very good mother to you."

"Understatement of the century." Jess commented dryly.

Liz sighed. "I'm sorry, Jess. You deserved more. I know that and I'm really really sorry." She said sincerely.

Jess sighed and glanced at her. "It's in the past now." He shrugged.

"Doesn't mean it hasn't affected you. I know it has." She said. "I know today was a huge deal for you and I really appreciated it. So thank you. And I really hope you'll let me make amends."

Jess was quiet for a moment. "Just don't leave me alone with TJ and we're good." He said.

Liz smirked. "He's not that bad!"

Jess gave her a look. "He's crazy." He said with a slight smirk. He was then distracted as he heard Charlotte laugh from across the dancefloor.

Liz followed his gaze. "Someone special?" She asked.

"I messed it up." Jess admitted.

"Well then fix it. I've seen you watching her all evening. She's Lorelai's daughter right?" Liz smiled.

"Yeah.." Jess said.

"You like her?" Liz asked.

"I love her." He admitted. "But I messed it up. I did something bad and she doesn't deserve me."

"Everyone makes mistakes. I should know." Liz said. "But everyone deserves a second chance."

Kirk suddenly started announcing the first dance so Liz stood up. Liz glanced at her son. "You want her back? You go win her back." She said before walking off to find TJ.

* * *

Meanwhile, Charlotte had sat down on the other side of the dancefloor. She smiled as she watched her mom and Luke join Liz and TJ.

"Mom looks happy." A voice said.

Charlotte smiled across at her sister as Rory sat down next to her. "Yeah she does." She agreed. She glanced at them both. "It's going to be nice having Luke as an official family member, won't it?" She smiled softly.

Rory smiled. "Yeah it will be." She said.

"How was your last final?" Charlotte asked.

"Good I think." She nodded. "Felt good to finally get out of there!"

Charlotte laughed. "I bet! I figured you would hang out with Logan this evening?"

"What, and miss a renaissance wedding?" Rory smirked. "No chance!"

Charlotte laughed. "Good point."

Rory noticed Jess walking towards them. "I'm just going to go say hi to Lane." She told Charlotte. "I'll be back."

"Ok." Charlotte nodded. She stayed seated watching the dancing until she felt someone else sit down next to her.

"My mom would leave me alone in our flat the whole time. As young as 5." Jess said quietly. "And she would leave strange men in the flat as well and just expect me to be ok with it."

"Jess, you don't have to..." Charlotte said.

"I do. I need to explain." Jess said. "She would spend all our money on booze and whoever she was going out with that week. We would never have much food in our flat. I would have to sneak to our neighbour's to get fed. Luke paid for my schooling and I would actually go because it meant getting out of the hellhole and it meant a guaranteed hot meal."

"Jess..." Charlotte said softly.

"I'm not trying to excuse what I did to you." He said quietly. He glanced at her. "Pushing you. It was unforgivable and I'm really sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to explain why I was so angry..."

Charlotte looked over at him. She was quiet for a moment before getting up and holding out her hand. "Fancy a dance?" She asked.

"What?" Jess asked surprised.

"What, are you wondering if I have a trust fund or something?" She smirked.

Jess smirked and took her hand before they headed to the dancefloor.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that with your mom." Charlotte said quietly.

"It's fine." Jess said.

Charlotte glanced across at Liz and TJ. "She seems happy now. Settled. Maybe she wants to make amends?"

Jess sighed and glanced at them. "Yeah she said she did." He admitted. "TJ does seem different to all the other guys she dated."

Charlotte glanced at him. "I think it was really cool of you to give her away." She said softly.

"It was no big deal." He shrugged.

"It was a huge deal." Charlotte said.

"Yeah well..."

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I've missed you." She admitted.

Jess looked back at her. "Yeah me too." He finally admitted. "I'm so so sorry about what I did to you. I know sorry isn't enough but..."

"It's fine." Charlotte said softly.

"I scared you. I never wanted to do that." He said.

"I understand. I know it was a one off." She assured him.

"And I'm sorry I went off on one at you at Yale." Jess said. "It was unfair and wrong of me to accuse you of doing anything with Marty or that other guy."

"Yeah...thanks." Charlotte said. "Especially since that other guy is called Logan and he's dating Rory." She said with a slight smirk.

Jess blushed. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Charlotte smirked.

Jess let out a big breath. "I messed up good and proper didn't I?" He asked.

"Pretty much." She nodded, smirking.

"Did I say sorry already?" He said.

"Several times." Charlotte nodded.

"Well I am. Genuinely." Jess sighed.

"I know. And I accept your apology." She said. She looked at him. "So how long do I have to wait until you kiss me then?" She smirked.

Jess smirked. "About a second." He said before leaning in and giving her a passionate kiss.

Charlotte reciprocated the action before pulling away slowly but leaning her forehead against his. "Man I've missed that." She joked.

Jess smirked. "Yeah me too."

"Well let's make up for lost time then." Charlotte grinned before leaning in again.

 **So Jess and Charlotte are back together! I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as it's your support that really motivates me so thank you! :)**


	44. Chapter 44

**Thank you so much for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 43

Lorelai shuffled sleepily into kitchen at about 3am where she finds Rory busily working and Charlotte sat at the table with her head on the table. "What's going on?" She asked sleepily.

"She's finally gone crazy." Charlotte groaned.

"Oh hi!" Rory grinned. "I'm still on my finals sleep schedule, and man am I wired. What time is it? Like 3:00 in the morning? I cannot tell anymore. Want some mac and cheese? I love mac and cheese when I can't sleep!" She exclaimed, checking the fridge. "Cool! Individual cheese slices. So I've been making out my résumé so I can try to get a summer job because there is no way that I am going to swipe cafeteria cards again next year." She continued until a buzzer sounded in the background. "Ooh my whites are done!" She said. "Do you know that the best time to do your laundry at Yale is in the middle of the night? You have your pick of washers, the place has just been swept and the trash is completely empty." Rory smiled reappearing. "So what do you think? The Stars Hollow Gazette needs a facts checker, but Rob's Tire is offering way more money..." She said as she went into her room.

Lorelai grabbed a chair and placed it under the handle of the door so Rory couldn't get out. "Great to have you home, hon!" She called. "Come on you. Come share my bed." She said to Charlotte.

"Bless you!" Charlotte yawned following her mom upstairs.

* * *

"Ok, I think I've got all the rooms assigned for the test run." Michel said following Lorelai down the stairs in the inn.

"Hit me." Lorelai said.

"Miss Patty is in room one, Babette is in two, Taylor in three, the corner room, Charlotte and Rory in five, you and Luke in are in six..." He said.

"Wait, what happened to four?" Lorelai asked confused.

"Four is taken." Michel said.

"By whom?" She asked.

"By friends of mine. Sookie and Jackson are in..." He tried.

"Which friends of yours?"

"You said I could invite friends of mine, did you not?"

"I did."

"Ok, so I did that. I invited two of my friends and I put them in room four so now room four is taken with my friends as you suggested, ok?"

"Michel, Paw-paw and Chin Chin cannot come to the test run." Lorelai smirked.

"Why not?"

"Because they are dogs, Michel!"

"They cannot stay home by themselves. They get lonely and they eat expensive Italian things!" He exclaimed.

"Then get yourself a Chow sitter, because room four is for human beings only." Lorelai said moving through to the sitting area.

"I don't understand why you get to bring Rory and Charlotte and I don't get to bring my Chows." Michel whined.

"Because I'm mad with power." Lorelai joked.

"They are cleaner than they are. They are quieter than they are." He said.

"Stop comparing your dogs to my kid!" Lorelai laughed.

"As much as you love Rory and Charlotte, that is how much I love Paw-paw and Chin Chin." Michel argued.

"I gave birth to them! I carried them inside me and nine months and twenty-six hours later, they came out!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"If I could have given birth to them myself, I would have, but I didn't have that choice!" He exclaimed as they both approached Kirk loading wood into the fireplace.

"I think that's enough wood there, Kirk." Lorelai smiled.

"I put wood in all the guest rooms and the living room, so all I have to do is store the rest of the cord you bought." Kirk said.

"Ok, Michel will take you outside and show you where it goes." She said.

"Outside? Do you really want to expose your wood to the elements?" Kirk asked.

"We'll get a tarp. Michel?" Lorelai said.

"Do you like dogs, Kirk?" Michel asked.

"Dogs urinate on wood. I hate dogs." Kirk said as they walked out.

Lorelai turned and smiled at Lulu. "Going with Kirk on his rounds again, Lulu?" She asked.

"Yeah I just love it when he looks like the Brawny paper towel guy." Lulu smiled.

"It is a good outfit." Lorelai nodded.

"The place looks absolutely wonderful, Lorelai. When does it open?" She asked.

"Two weeks but we're having a test run on Saturday. Just a bunch of friends who will hopefully still be our friends on Monday." She joked.

"Sounds wonderful." Lulu smiled.

"Hey, you and Kirk should come." Lorelai suggested.

"Really?" Lulu asked.

"Sure! I'll give you Paw-paw and Chin-chin's room. We'd love to have you." Lorelai smiled.

"Wow, we would love to come. And I know Kirk would feel better being able to check up on the wood." Lulu said.

"Kirk's lucky to have found you, Lulu." Lorelai smirked before heading into the kitchen. "Ooh man, it smells great in here!" She enthused.

"This is the best kitchen staff I've ever had, ever! I don't know how we got them but they're amazing! I got to show you this mincing!" Sookie gushed.

"No, no, no, I believe you. They seem terrific. But..uh..Sookie, there are seven workers in here and we're only budgeted for five." Lorelai said looking round.

"I know."

"That's a problem." Lorelai chuckled.

"Yes." Sookie nodded. "See, I hired seven figuring that at least two would crap out and then we'd have five." She said.

"And?"

"And none did."

"So what do we do?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know." Sookie admitted.

"Well, maybe the test run will break a couple of them but if no one quits, honey, you've got to fire two of them." Lorelai said just as Michel entered the kitchen and walked up to them.

"There are all sorts of chromosomes missing from that man." He said.

"Put Kirk and Lulu in room four." Lorelai told him.

"You cut me." He scowled.

"Ok, so is that it for the rooms?" She asked.

"Basically, yes. You and Luke in six and Sookie and Jackson in seven." He said.

"Great!" She smiled.

"Look at how he chopped these onions. I just want to shove a string through them and wear them around my neck!" Sookie exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes because that wouldn't be at all eccentric." Michel said dryly.

"Oh, honey, come here!" Lorelai suddenly exclaimed, hugging Sookie.

"What?" Sookie laughed. "What is that for?"

"Well, in all the craziness, I completely forgot that today is your wedding anniversary!"

Sookie was quiet for a moment staring at her. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed before dashing off.

* * *

Later that morning, Lorelai was sat at a table at Luke's while Charlotte was sat up at the end of the counter talking to Jess. "Urghh, I'm so tired! I'm telling you, I'm hating Rory right this moment!" She groaned.

"Why?" Jess smirked.

"She was up at 3am making Mac n Cheese and doing laundry! I mean, who does that?" She exclaimed. "I went up to my mom's room but I couldn't get back to sleep after that."

"Aw poor you." He smirked.

"Don't mock me, I'm not in the mood." Charlotte pouted.

"Sorry." Jess chuckled. "So where is she now?"

"Sleeping! Can you believe that? We couldn't even wake her up this morning!" She said.

Jess smirked. "Ah."

"Anyway, Logan's coming this morning. She wants to show him the town and the inn and stuff." Charlotte told him.

"Huh." Jess said.

"Could be time to make amends with him?" Charlotte smirked. "I mean, him and Rory are pretty serious at the moment so it would make things less awkward."

"Yeah sure, whatever." He said.

"Jess please?"

"I'll be nice, ok?" He said.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled.

"So..uh..can I talk to you for a minute?" Jess asked.

"I thought that's what we were doing." She joked.

"Funny." He said dryly. "No, I mean in private."

"Oh..uh..sure." Charlotte said. Jess grabbed her hand and led her behind the curtain and sat down on the steps. "What's up?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"Well..uh..you know I love you right?" He started.

"Yeah..."

"And I know we were engaged the last time and I do want to marry you. But..." He said before sighing.

Charlotte smiled. "You want us to take our time?" She guessed.

Jess glanced at her. "Is that ok?" He asked cautiously. "I do want it. It's just..."

"No it's fine. I was thinking about that too. I think maybe it put too much pressure on us?" She smiled softly.

"Really?"

"Let's enjoy being young." Charlotte nodded. "We'll get married. I know that. But let's live in the moment right now."

Jess let out a relieved breath and leant in to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Ah finally, daughter of mine!" They heard Lorelai exclaimed.

Charlotte smirked. "Sounds like someone's made an appearance finally. Come on!" She said getting up and leading him back into the diner and over to the table where Rory and Logan had just appeared. "Hey!" She said.

"Hey!" Rory said.

"Hi Charlotte." Logan smiled.

"Oh, Logan this is Jess..." Charlotte said. "Although I know you two have already met briefly..." She said smirking slightly.

"I remember." Logan nodded.

"Look..uh..I was in a bad place that time before. I was angry and took it out on you." Jess said. He held out his hand. "Start afresh?" He offered a truce.

Logan glanced between him and Charlotte and then smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Logan. Nice to meet you."

"Jess." Jess nodded. "I should get back to work. See you later?" He asked Charlotte.

"You bet." She smiled giving him a kiss and then watching him head back to the counter. She then sat back down at the table. "So, has Rory shown you the town?" She asked Logan.

* * *

"Two radish roses for a carrot curl?" Lorelai asked her daughters as they sat at the dining room table in the Gilmore Mansion.

"Deal!" Charlotte grinned.

"You're trading garnish?" Emily asked.

"Yes, but only because the dinner's gross." Lorelai said.

"Very nice." Emily said sarcastically.

"I don't like rabbit." Lorelai said.

"How convenient. You're not eating rabbit." Emily said.

"Told you." Charlotte smirked.

"But this is rabbit sauce." Lorelai pointed out.

"It is rabbit sauce." Richard commented from the other end of the table.

"It is not rabbit sauce. Do not tell her that it's rabbit sauce." Emily said annoyed.

"It tastes like rabbit sauce to me." Richard said quietly.

"That just goes to show how much attention you give to meals that are prepared for you." Emily snapped, causing Charlotte, Rory and Lorelai to exchange a glance.

"Ok so if it isn't rabbit, then what is it?" Lorelai asked.

"It's duck."

"Oh, well, where's that carrot curl?" She asked Charlotte.

"I haven't seen a radish rose." Charlotte said.

"Never mind. Don't eat it. Sriva, come get the plates. We're done." Emily said.

"Not everyone is done!" Richard said.

"Just bring out the dessert, please." Emily said ignoring him. "So, Rory, Charlotte, I was thinking maybe we should go away this summer, just you and me. You should do Europe right at least once in your life and this seems like the perfect time." She smiled.

"Oh, well, Grandma, I don't really know what we're doing this summer yet but that sounds really nice." Rory said surprised.

"And...out of the blue..." Charlotte added, glancing at her grandfather who also looked surprised.

"Really out of the blue." Lorelai nodded.

"I agree." Richard said.

"Were you going mention this to me?" Lorelai asked.

"I just did." Emily said.

"No, before you opened the peanuts." She said.

"Plans aren't made, Lorelai. It was just an idea. If Rory and Charlotte don't want to go, then they don't have to go."

"Rory didn't say she didn't want to go." Rory said.

"Or me!" Charlotte added.

"That's right, their mother was just marvelling at the 'hey, look over here' approach to the invitation." Lorelai said. She sighed as there was an awkward silence between her parents. She wasn't used to this. "I forgot to mention, we're doing a test run at the inn this weekend." She told them.

"What?" Emily said.

"Yeah, we're inviting all our friends to spend the weekend, just to make sure we're ready to open." Lorelai explained.

"Well, that sounds sensible." Richard said.

"Hey, you know what would be great? If the two of you came." Lorelai suddenly thought.

"What?" Emily said.

"Yeah! For the weekend." Lorelai smiled.

"Oh." Emily said glancing a worried look with Richard.

"Well..." Richard said.

"I mean, I've been working toward this goal for, my god, what is it girls now, twenty years?" She asked.

"Twenty years." Rory nodded.

"Twenty years, wow. So basically, this is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me in my life, except for Rory and Charlotte being born and I'm sure my parents wouldn't want to miss it. I mean, unless there's some specific reason why you guys can't come, both of you together. No? Ok, good, so you'll be there. Fantastic. Isn't that great, girls? Grandma and Grandpa are coming to the test run together." She said quickly.

"Mom..." Charlotte said quietly.

"Lorelai.." Richard tried.

"Dad, seriously, you have no idea how much this means to me." Lorelai said.

Emily exchanged a glance with her husband before sighing. "We wouldn't miss it for the world." She said forcing a smile onto her face.

"So, inviting them to stay in the inn is going to do what?" Charlotte asked as they headed to the jeep.

"I'm not inviting them to stay in the inn. I'm inviting them to stay in the bungalow 150 feet away from the inn." Lorelai grinned.

"Diabolical." Rory shook her head.

"I'm going to lock those two in a room and they are either coming out reconciled or in a body bag. Believe you me, I'm fine either way." Lorelai said.

* * *

The day of the test run soon came and Charlotte and Rory were in the dining room at the inn sorting out some last minute things.

"My kitchen staff's great!" Sookie exclaimed coming out of the kitchen. "All seven of them!"

"Hang in there, Sookie." Rory said.

"If only one would suck, maybe it would rub off on the rest." Sookie said.

"Plenty of sucking potential still out there, have some faith." Charlotte smirked.

Rory glanced over at Charlotte when Sookie disappeared back into the kitchen. "Hey, do you have a minute?" She asked.

"Sure." Charlotte smiled.

"Can we..uh..?" Rory said gesturing for Charlotte to follow her.

Charlotte frowned confused but followed her sister upstairs to the room they were going to stay in that night. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"No. I just..uh..well you talked to me when you thought you were ready..." Rory said awkwardly.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Ready. You know, you were ready with Jess. To..uh..take the next step." Rory said quietly.

"Oh.." She said suddenly understanding. "You're ready for that with Logan?" She asked softly.

"I..I think so." Rory admitted. "I know it seems quick..."

"No, not at all. I mean you've been dating for months now." Charlotte pointed out.

"I know but..."

"Rory, if you're ready, you're ready. But don't you think you should be talking to Logan about this, not me?" She said.

"I know. But I wanted to talk to you as well. See what you thought..."

"Well I think that you should do what you want to do." Charlotte smiled. "I know I haven't exactly been behind you and Logan but I can see he cares about you. I see that he's a good guy."

"Yeah. He is." Rory smiled softly. "And he's so considerate as well."

"Well then...I think you should talk to him." Charlotte smiled.

"Girls? Are you up here?" Lorelai's voice was suddenly heard.

"Yeah we're in here!" Charlotte called.

"What are you doing up here?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh..uh.." Charlotte said glancing at Rory. "We were just taking a breather before all the guests arrived." She said.

"Oh ok. Well breather over because they're here. Let's motor!" Lorelai said.

"Let's go!" Charlotte smiled. "Oh mom?"

"Yeah?"

"You know Kirk and Lulu are now next to you and Luke's room?" Charlotte smirked.

"Really, why?"

"According to Jess, Kirk freaked out about having night terrors and wants Luke to be close so that he can pull him off Lulu if he needs to." Charlotte smirked.

"Oh geez!" Lorelai groaned.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were at the reception desk after sending Emily and Richard to their own private room.

"You're evil." Charlotte told their mom, shaking her head.

"Hey, I don't know they're having difficulties. How should I?" Lorelai grinned.

"So what's Logan doing tonight?" Charlotte asked Rory.

"Just hanging at ours I think." Rory said. "I told him I'd go see him for a bit later if I get any time."

Charlotte nodded. "Oh hey, it's Luke mom!" She smiled as she saw Luke enter with bouquet of flowers in hand, looking around. Charlotte smiled as she watched their mom smooth her hair before going over to greet Luke. "Do you think he'll actually do it tonight?" She asked Rory.

"He said he would." Rory said.

"I hope he does." Charlotte said softly.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled at Luke giving him a kiss.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" He asked.

"Urgh, I'm holding. Still a bit stressed. I just want this to go really well." Lorelai admitted.

"It will do." Luke assured her. "It looks great."

"Thanks." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Oh here, these are for you, a little congratulations." He smiled handing her the flowers.

"Aw these are beautiful. Thank you." She smiled. "So that's your door going up now. Just follow it up to our room."

"Great ok." Luke smiled. "See you later?"

"Yeah see you later." Lorelai smiled watching him go upstairs.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai moved from table to table checking on the guests. She approached the table where Charlotte, Rory and Jackson were sat. "Hey, how it going?" She smiled.

"It's going very well." Rory smiled.

"Very, very well." Jackson nodded smiling.

"Oh, Jackson, I love the shirt." Lorelai smirked.

"Isn't it great? It's an anniversary gift from Sookie." He said.

"Sweet, huh?" Rory grinned.

"Yeah, these two kids." Charlotte grinned.

"I got to tell you, I was completely surprised. I figured, with the test run and everything, she'd be way too busy to remember." He said.

"Aw, what are you talking about, Sookie could never forget her mushroom man." Lorelai said.

"I'd love her to forget that nickname though." Jackson said.

"The food's great, mom." Charlotte said.

"Yes, it is great." Jackson nodded.

"Although I admit, we know the chef, so we're a little biased." Charlotte said.

"You're a little biased? I'm sleeping with her." Jackson said.

"You also grew the vegetables." Rory pointed out.

"Oh, I did. I can't be trusted at all." Jackson joked causing Charlotte and Rory to laugh.

"Ok well I'm going to make the rounds." Lorelai told them.

"We'll be here." Rory smiled.

Lorelai smiled and headed over to the table where Luke was with Miss Patty and Babette. "Hey, how is everything this evening?" She asked.

"Oh my god, these robes!" Babette exclaimed.

"What are they made of? Because I am never getting dressed again." Miss Patty said.

Lorelai smirked and glanced at Luke who was staring at his food. "How are you doing?"

"I'm just staring at my plate." He said.

"He's shy." Babette said. "My bathrobe slipped earlier and his poor little heart couldn't take it."

"He's been staring at his salad ever since." Miss Patty smirked.

"Aw poor Luke!" Lorelai teased.

"I like salad." Luke said but glanced up at her and they shared a smile.

"Ok, well, I'm trusting you two to go easy on my guy now ok?" Lorelai smirked.

"We'll try." Babette grinned.

Lorelai grinned and headed to the kitchen. "Ok so I have no need of salad in my life ever but this is amazing!" She enthused as she went over to Sookie.

"He's great." Sookie said dejectedly. "They're all great. What happened to the disenfranchised youth of America? Where did all these worker bees come from?"

"Cheer up, Sookie, the food's going over like gangbusters." Lorelai said.

"Yeah..." She said sighing, just as Michel entered.

"I went to check on the backup generators. Everything is fine." He told them.

"And the dinner's going great." Lorelai said.

"Everyone's settled, the doors are up." Michel nodded.

"Everyone seems happy." Sookie smiled.

"They do, don't they?" Lorelai said smiling to herself. "This is going to work." She said to them, smiling.

* * *

After the dinner, the tables were grouped together and held board games for the guests to play. Luke and Charlotte were sat at one playing.

"Hey, Kirk, I'm getting tired." Lulu said from the next table.

"You are?" Kirk said nervously.

"Would you mind if we went to bed?" She asked.

"Uh, no, that's fine. You're tired. So, then..." He said raising his voice. "Let's go upstairs and go to bed!"

"Ok. Good night, everyone." Lulu smiled at everyone.

"I'm right behind you." Kirk said, lingering next to Luke and jerking his head motioning for him to follow.

"I think Kirk wants you to go upstairs and make love to him." Charlotte smirked.

"Will you just roll?" Luke shook his head.

Charlotte grinned. "So..the night is nearly over.." She said.

"Yep." He said.

"Any question you've forgotten to ask yet?" Charlotte asked.

Luke glanced up at her and smiled. "I'm just trying to find the right moment. If it doesn't happen tonight, I'll do it soon." He assured her.

"Ok. Good." Charlotte said giving him a small smiled.

Lorelai approached them. "Hey, how's it going here?" She smiled.

"Good!" Charlotte smiled. "Although I think Kirk wants Luke to go to his room and..."

"Will you stop?" Luke said.

Charlotte grinned. "Everything's good." She told her mom.

"Good." Lorelai smirked. "Well, we locked the kitchen crew in with Michel for twenty minutes and it backfired a little. Six of them quit and we have to start hiring again tomorrow. When you're done, would you run home and grab some CDs? I totally forgot to have them in case one of the guests wants to play something in their room." She asked Charlotte.

"Oh sure!" Charlotte said. "Hey, wait a minute, why don't you ask Rory? She's been looking for an excuse to go and see Logan for a bit." She suggested.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense actually." Lorelai said. "I'll do that." She said going over to where Rory was playing backgammon with Tom. "Hey, how's it going?" She asked.

"She's letting me win. It's very annoying." Tom said.

"How's it going with you?" Rory smiled.

"Good. I was wondering if you could pop home and grab some cds though. I totally forgot to have some in case people want to pay them in their rooms."

"Oh sure!" Rory smiled. "I'll go after this."

"Thanks hon." Lorelai smiled.

* * *

"Hey!" Rory smiled as she entered her bedroom back at home.

"Oh hey." Logan smiled sat on the mattress that had been set up for him, on his laptop. "How's it going?"

"Yeah it's going really well. My mom's less stressed now." Rory said.

"Well that's good then." He smiled.

"She wanted me to come back and grab some cds for the guests." She explained.

"Ah ok. Can you stay a bit before you head back?" He asked.

"I'm sure I could." She smiled.

"Good." Logan smirked grabbing her hand and pulling her down to his mattress. "Hey." He smiled, kissing her.

"Hey." Rory smiled into the kiss. "What was that for?"

"I've missed you." Logan smirked.

"I saw you like three hours ago!" Rory laughed.

"Yeah but I still missed you. Didn't you miss me?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah I missed you." She said softly.

"Good." He smirked giving her another kiss.

"So..uh..we've got the house to ourselves.." Rory said nervously.

"Yeah? Cool..." Logan said.

"How about we make the most of it?" She said nervously.

Logan glanced at her. "Are you suggesting...?" He asked surprised.

"Don't you want to?" She asked.

"Well yeah..." He said. "I've wanted to from the start but I thought you weren't ready..."

Rory shrugged. "Things change. Including my mind." She said quietly.

"Really?"

"I love you. And I trust you." Rory smiled softly.

"I love you too." Logan smiled softly. They looked at each other for a moment before Logan slowly pulled Rory down with him and started kissing her more passionately.

* * *

"Hey! Last one up?" Lorelai smiled as she found Luke in the library.

"Yeah. I was waiting for you to finish." He smiled.

"Well I'm finished." She said.

"Good. Come on, let's go outside. Apparently the stars are really pretty tonight." He said leading her out to the porch.

"Since when were you an astronomy nerd?" Lorelai teased.

"How long have you known me?" Luke asked raising his eyebrows.

"Ok, fair enough." Lorelai grinned. "Wow, they really are pretty." She said looking up at the clear sky.

"Yeah.." Luke said looking up. "So..the evening went well..." He said.

"Yeah, it did. I'm so relieved." Lorelai smiled. "I think this is actually going to work."

"It will work." Luke nodded.

"You sound so sure." Lorelai laughed.

"Because I believe in you." Luke smiled softly.

"Luke..." Lorelai blushed.

"No, I do. And I've been so proud of you tonight. This is amazing, Lorelai. Everything you've achieved here. It's amazing. You're amazing." He said softly.

"Thanks." Lorelai said softly.

Luke took a deep breath. "I..uh..I've actually been meaning to ask you something all evening..." He said.

"Shoot." Lorelai smiled but she was stunned when Luke took a small box out of his back pocket. "Luke..."

"I love you, Lorelai. I've loved you since you first burst into the diner in a caffeine frenzy." He said smirking slightly. "This here. You and me. It just feels so right and I've never felt like this with anyone else before. I love you and I want to be with you the rest of your life." He said softly. "So..uh.." He said awkwardly getting down on one knee. "Lorelai Gilmore...will you marry me?" He asked.

"Luke..I.." Lorelai said stunned. "I..." She started to say when suddenly Kirk came running down the stairs inside, naked with only a pillow covering himself, screaming.

"Aaaaah!" Kirk screamed running straight past them. "Aaah!"

"Oh geez!" Luke groaned. "Don't move! I'll be right back!" He said, getting up, giving her the box. "Just..uh..stay there please!" He begged, hating Kirk for ruining the moment.

"Luke!" Lorelai called as Luke started running after Kirk.

"Yeah?" He called back turning back briefly.

Lorelai smiled as she glanced down at the ring in the box. She looked up and grinned at him. "The answer's yes!" She called.

"What?" He said surprised.

"The answer's yes! I'll marry you!" Lorelai called, beaming.

 **So I hope you liked it! please keep the reviews coming as they really do motivate me so thank you! :)**


	45. Chapter 45

**I still get overwhelmed by your support so thank you so much! :)**

Chapter 44

"Are you comfortable? Am I killing your arm?" Rory asked as she and Logan lay on the mattress on the floor.

"My arm is fine." Logan chuckled.

"I could move." Rory offered.

"Don't you dare." Logan said.

"This right here, is the textbook definition of a perfect moment." Rory smiled, snuggling into her.

"Yeah, it is." Logan smiled kissing the top of her head. "No regrets?" He asked.

"Definitely no regrets." Rory smiled softly at him. "I'm happy."

"Good. Me too." Logan smiled.

Just then they heard the front door open. "Rory!" Lorelai's voice called.

"Oh geez!" Rory said getting up frantically and putting her clothes back on, Logan doing the same. She smoothed her clothes and then, after taking a deep breath, left her room. "Mom?" She said.

"Oh there you are!" Lorelai smiled. "You're taking ages with those CDs!"

"Yeah sorry...I was..uh..talking with Logan." She said.

"No worries. You ready to come back now? I've just come to grab the camera because you've missed some pretty big stuff. Grab the CDs and then we need to go wake your sister up!" Lorelai grinned running upstairs to get the camera.

Rory went back into the room. "That was close..." She let out a breath.

"Very close." Logan chuckled. "You need to go?" He asked.

"Yeah sorry. But I can come back in the morning. Sorry you're stuck here."

"It's fine. I don't mind." Logan smiled. "Go. I'll be fine."

"Ok." Rory smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"See you."Logan smiled and he watched Rory leave the room and then he heard the front door again.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory got back into the inn and saw Luke and Charlotte in the sitting room where Kirk was propped face first on the sofa naked, his butt in the air and a blanket covering him.

"Oh no." Lorelai said.

"What happened?" Rory asked shocked.

"It's ok." Luke assured her.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Lorelai asked Charlotte.

"You try sleeping while Kirk is screaming the place down." She smirked.

"Fair point." Lorelai said.

"What happened?" Rory asked again.

"He landed butt first in Taylor's rose bushes." Luke said.

"Oh poor thing!" Lorelai said.

"Didn't slow him down though. I managed to tackle him as he headed toward the miniature goat pen, dragged him back here, threw one of your blankets over him, and, well there he is. He's going to be fine." Luke said.

"Well, that's good." Lorelai said.

"Yeah...So..uh.."

"Are you sure he can breathe?" Rory asked.

"I propped his head up." Luke said.

"With great difficulty." Charlotte smirked.

Kirk then groaned from the couch.

"We need to take him upstairs." Lorelai said.

"Lulu can't see me like this." Kirk groaned.

"But Kirk..." She tried.

"Lulu can't see me like this!" He exclaimed hysterically.

"Ok, she won't. I promise." Lorelai said, sighing. "Can I take a look?"

"Ok." Kirk mumbled.

Lorelai stood there for a moment and then turned to her daughters and Luke. "I don't want to take a look." She said.

"Well I'm not looking." Luke smirked.

"Me neither!" Charlotte said.

"Count me out." Rory said.

Just then Sookie came down the stairs. "Hey! It's a party. What's everybody doing up?" She asked.

"Aw, hey, good timing, Squiggy." Lorelai smiled as she and Luke approached her and started leading her towards the couch.

"I was just going to check on my loaves and make sure they're rising properly. The air's a little more humid than I thought it was going to be and if the loaves aren't rising properly, then...what are you doing?" She asked.

"We need you to look at Kirk's butt." Lorelai told her.

"Why?" Sookie asked.

"Well, because he ran into some rose bushes and he's got some thorns stuck in it and I thought of you." Lorelai said.

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, because...you're a chef."

"What?" Sookie said confused.

"And you have a kid." Luke chimed in.

"Yes, that's better. You have a kid." Lorelai nodded. "Plus Luke and I need to talk to the girls about something..." She said.

"Ok." Sookie said reluctantly lifting the blanket. "Oh! Ok I'm gonna need Bactine, antiseptic and lots of hot towels."

"I'll go. I'll be right back." Lorelai said. "You two, don't move." She told Charlotte and Rory.

"Ok." Rory said.

"Yeah we're not going to miss this." Charlotte grinned.

Kirk groaned again from the couch after Lorelai left.

"Hey, Kirk? How are you feeling?" Sookie asked.

"Is Luke here?" He asked.

"I'm right here, Kirk." Luke said.

"Sorry I bit you." He said.

"It's ok, Kirk." Luke said.

"He bit you?" Charlotte smirked.

"I never want to speak about it again." Luke said.

"Oh you'll hear about it again." Rory grinned.

"They were after me so I ran away." Kirk said.

"Who was after you, honey?" Sookie asked confused.

"Assassins. He thinks assassins are after him." Luke told Sookie who finally understood.

"They were under my bed in my room so I ran and they followed me down the hall, down the stairs, past Luke proposing to Lorelai, through the yard, over that fence..." Kirk continued, causing Luke to freeze as he saw Charlotte and Rory staring at him out the corner of his eye.

"Well, the assassins are gone now, Kirk." Sookie said.

"I imagined them?"

"I think so."

"What about Luke proposing to Lorelai?" He asked.

"I think you imagined that too." Sookie chuckled but then she glanced at Luke and saw his expression.

"They looked so real." Kirk mumbled.

"You proposed?" Charlotte said excitedly. "You actually did it?"

"Uh..." Luke said.

"He actually did what?" Lorelai asked coming back in.

"Did you propose to you? Are you getting married?" Rory asked.

"What...how?" Lorelai asked stunned, glancing at Luke.

"Kirk." Luke explained.

"Oh great..." She sighed.

"Is it true?" Charlotte asked.

"Lorelai?" Sookie questioned just as excitedly.

"Yes ok? Luke proposed to me." Lorelai said not being able to help the smile that appeared on her face.

"And?" Charlotte prompted.

"And...I said yes." Lorelai smiled.

Charlotte and Rory both squealed and launched themselves at their mom. "I'm so happy for you guys!" Charlotte grinned. She then went and hugged Luke. "I knew you would do it!"

"Hang on a minute, what do you mean you knew he would do it?" Lorelai asked.

"He asked for mine and Rory's blessing months ago." Charlotte grinned.

"You what?" Lorelai asked stunned. "You asked them?" She asked softly.

"Well they're in this too." Luke shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I can't believe you asked them." Lorelai smiled.

"I need to go tell Jess!" Charlotte grinned. "Meet you up there?" She asked Rory.

"Ok." Rory nodded.

"I'm so happy for you mom. You deserve this." Charlotte smiled, hugging her mom again.

"Thanks hon." Lorelai smiled softly as she watched her race upstairs.

* * *

Charlotte hung up just as Rory came in saying goodbye to the person she was talking to on her mobile. "Logan?" She guessed.

"Yep. He's happy for us." Rory smiled.

"So did you talk to him earlier? About what you told me." She asked.

"Uh..yeah.." Rory said.

"And?" Charlotte prompted.

"He was...nice."

"Nice?" Charlotte said confused. "So you discussed it?"

"Yeah we did.." Rory said feeling a blush appear on her face.

"Hang on a minute, you didn't...?"

"Charlie..." Rory said embarrassed.

"Oh my god you actually did! I thought you were just going to talk about it!" Charlotte laughed.

"We did. But he was so lovely and I don't know, it just felt...right." She shrugged.

"And? How was it?" Charlotte grinned.

"Charlie! I'm not telling you that!" Rory exclaimed.

"But it was good?" She smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah it was good."

"Well good. I'm glad then." Charlotte smiled.

"Mom nearly caught us though." Rory smirked.

"Oh god really? Ha that would have been funny. Catching both daughters having their first time." She laughed.

"Luckily she was too distracted. Now I know why!" Rory said.

"I can't believe Luke finally proposed." Charlotte said. "Long time coming huh?"

"Yeah. And mom looks so happy." Rory smiled.

"Yeah.." Charlotte smiled. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should probably go to sleep."

"Yeah." Rory sighed lying down on the bed, glancing at her phone and smiling.

"Logan?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yeah. He's just saying goodnight." Rory smiled.

Charlotte smirked at her sister's gooey expression. "Why don't you just go home?" She asked. "You're going to drive me crazy with your sappy expressions and wistful looks otherwise."

"What? No, I can't. Mom will expect me to be here tomorrow morning." She said.

"Well then sneak in early tomorrow morning." Charlotte said. "I'll cover for you if you're late."

"Really?" Rory asked biting her lip.

"Just go." Charlotte laughed.

"Ok." Rory grinned. "Thanks!"

"Have fun!" Charlotte laughed as she watched Rory leave.

* * *

The following morning, Luke walked into the dining room for breakfast. He spotted Jackson, Charlotte and Rory sat at a table with Davey on Charlotte's lap. He walked over to them and sat down. "Hey." He said.

"Hi Luke!" Charlotte smiled. "How cute is Davey?" She said.

"Very cute." Luke nodded.

"Still not keen on jam hands, Luke?" Rory teased.

"Just keep him away from the jam and I'll be fine." He smirked.

Charlotte suddenly saw Jess come in. "Oh hey!" She smiled getting up. "Here Mr Jam Hands, hold him for a second." She said handing Davey to Luke and rushing off to greet Jess.

Lorelai came out of the kitchen at that moment and did a double take when she saw Luke with Davey.

"Makes your heart race, doesn't it?" Sookie smiled, appearing by her side.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"The first time I saw Jackson holding Davey, it melted my heart." Sookie smiled.

"Oh right. Yeah." Lorelai said smiling softly at Luke who was gently moving Davey to his other knee so he could eat as well.

"You're happy right?" Sookie asked softly.

"Yeah Sook, I really am." She smiled. "I really am."

"I'm glad. I'm so happy for you. You deserve this. And Luke's such a good guy." Sookie smiled.

"Yeah he is." Lorelai smiled as he watched Luke exchange a joke with Rory.

"You're getting married." Sookie said her smile turning into a beam.

Lorelai grinned. "Yeah. I'm getting married." She said, it finally sinking in.

"I have to go back to the kitchen." Sookie said.

"Ok. I'll meet you there. I'll just go say goodbye to the girls and Luke." She told her.

"Ok." Sookie smiled disappearing back off to the kitchen.

* * *

Later that day, Luke entered his apartment and found Jess lying on the couch reading. "Hey, so this is what you're spending the day doing?" He said smirking slightly.

"Yup." Jess said glancing over at him. "I'm heading over to Lane's in a bit to practise with the band." He said.

"Ok." Luke nodded. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his cap.

"Something wrong?" Jess asked.

"I need to go away for about a week." Luke admitted.

"Bailing on Lorelai already? Not even 24 hours, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

"Shut it." Luke said. "No, your..uh...your mom and TJ have been in a bit of an accident." He said.

"What?" Jess said surprised, sitting up.

"They're ok." Luke assured him quickly. "Just a couple of broken bones. But it means they can't get around too easily and your mom's worried about losing their booth spot. Apparently it's the best one so because I answered the phone, I had to agree to go and help them." He sighed.

"Bummer." Jess said smirking slightly.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you don't want to come?" Luke smirked.

"Not really my scene." Jess said.

"Thought so. So I..uh..I was wondering, you work well with Lane in the diner, don't you?" He asked.

"She's cool." Jess nodded.

"Well I need someone to be in charge when I'm away." Luke said.

Jess glanced at him. "Seriously? You're putting me in charge?" He asked surprised.

"If you want? I know you've got that job at Andrew's and the band..." Luke said.

"I can work round it." Jess said.

"Really? Ok good. Thank you." Luke nodded.

"Do I get paid more?" He smirked.

"I knew there would be a condition." Luke shook his head.

"Well I need to get the perks of being the boss, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

"Fine. Yes you'll get paid a bit more." Luke said with a slight smirk.

"Great. Consider me there then." He said.

"Good." Luke said. "I need to get back downstairs. I need to call Lorelai and let her know as well."

"Ok." Jess said. He watched Luke turn to leave. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Liz and TJ are really ok?" He asked hesitantly.

Luke smiled softly. "Yeah they're ok."

"Ok. Good." Jess said. "Tell them...uh...tell them I hope they get better soon..."

Luke smiled. "I will do. I'll be up here a bit later to pack and then I'll get off. I know it's your day off today but could you possibly close up for me?"

"Sure." He said.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a bit." Luke said before disappearing back downstairs.

Jess watched him leave before picking up his mobile and dialling a familiar number. "Hey." He smiled.

"Hey!" Charlotte said cheerfully on the other end.

"So guess who will have the apartment to themselves for a week..." He smirked.

"Does his name begin with a J?" Charlotte grinned.

"Possibly." He said.

"Cool!"

"I could probably do with some company or else I might get lonely...if anyone's offering?"

"Well I'm offering." Charlotte grinned.

"And I'm accepting." He smirked.

"So how come Luke won't be there?" She asked.

"Accident with my mom and TJ. He's going to help them out for a bit." He told her.

"Oh my god, are they ok?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. They're just not moving around that easily so Luke said he'd go and help."

"Good old Luke." She smiled. "Oh hang on, my Grandma's here at the inn for lunch apparently. I better go. See you later?"

"See you later." Jess said before hanging up. He looked at his mobile for a minute before dialling another number. "Mom?" He said.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai was stood outside the diner saying goodbye to Luke. "So then my mom offered to take Charlotte and Rory to Europe for the summer..." She told him.

"Seriously?" Luke said surprised. "What did they say?"

"Well I thought they were going to say yes but then I think they want to spend the summer with some certain boyfriends so they declined. But they told her they'd go another time." Lorelai said.

"Right." He nodded. "So I'm guessing your mom's not going then?"

"Oh no, she's still going." She said.

"Really?" He said surprised. "Alone?"

"Yep." Lorelai sighed.

"Geez, your parents must be going through something..."

"Yep. She's finally admitted they're separated." Lorelai sighed. "It's so weird. All my life they've been so...together."

"Yeah I bet." Luke said. "Are you ok?"

Lorelai gave him a small smile. "Yeah. It's just a bit weird, that's all." She said. "You better get off. Wish Liz and TJ better from me."

"I will." Luke said.

"Hurry back." Lorelai said.

"Oh believe me, I'm not exactly looking forward to a week with TJ." Luke said dryly. "I'll be back as soon as I can, trust me."

"Good." Lorelai smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He smiled reciprocating the action. "Hey, do me a favour, and makes sure Jess stays out of trouble while I'm away."

"Sure." Lorelai laughed.

"Thanks." He smirked as he opened the driver's seat.

"Hey Luke?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah?"He said looking back.

"We're getting married." She grinned.

"We're getting married." Luke smiled back. "Ring you when I get there?" He said.

"Ok." She said. "Drive safe."

Luke nodded and got in. "Bye." He smiled softly.

"Bye." Lorelai smiled softly and she watched him drive off. She heard someone come out of the diner and stand next to her. She turned and smiled at Jess. "Hey, do you want to come and have dinner at ours tonight?" She asked.

"You're going to cook?" Jess raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well...I was hoping you could bring some food from here." She grinned.

Jess smirked. "I need to close up and then I'll come round."

"Great!" Lorelai grinned. "We'll see you in a bit then?" She asked.

"See you in a bit." He nodded.

 **I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! :)**


	46. Chapter 46

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 45

Lane was standing behind the counter at Luke's taking a food order from a woman. She then tore the order from her pad and placed it on the kitchen ledge. "Caesar, order!" She said. "Hey Jess, could you go deal with Zach and Brian?"

"Sure." He nodded and headed over to their table.

"Since they were both actually royalty, their child would have a real claim to the Judean throne, see? So Mary Magdalene goes to Gaul to have the kid. She's also supposed to run the church after his death but that's not what Peter wants, right? But all that got covered up later by Constantine after the council of Nicea purged the Christian..." Brian was telling Zach.

"Oh my god! Will you stop talking about this!" Zach exclaimed.

"This is like the number one book in the country." Brian said.

"Well, it's my number one bummer." Zach said.

"What'll you guys have?" Jess smirked.

"Hey Jess, you're into books. Aren't I right?" Brian said.

"Brian's right." Jess nodded.

"Why did we let you in the band?" Zach grumbled.

"Because I've got access to the free fries." Jess smirked.

"Good point." Zach said. "Burger for me, nothing healthy on it, extra cheese."

"Coming up. Brian?" Jess asked.

"Same for me please." Brian said.

"I'll be back." Jess said walking back over to the counter and giving the order to Caesar. "How do we put up with those two again?" He smirked as he helped Lane refill the coffee jugs.

"I have no idea." Lane laughed.

Just then Charlotte came in and sat down at the counter. "Hey guys!" She smiled.

"Hey!" Lane smiled.

"Hey." Jess smiled leaning over to give her a kiss.

"Your usual?" Lane asked.

"Yes please!" Charlotte grinned. She glanced round. "Still no Luke, huh?" She said.

"Liz and T.J. are apparently still not back up on their feet." Lane told her.

"Luke's calling the Renaissance Faire his 'Vietnam without all the fun shooting.'" Jess said smirking slightly.

"Poor Luke." Charlotte laughed.

"I'll just get your order." Lane smiled.

"Thanks Lane." She smiled. She glanced at Jess. "Your mom's ok though, right?" She asked.

"Seems to be. They just still need a bit of help. Luke says they're fine so they have to be right?" Jess shrugged.

"Right." Charlotte said. She looked at him for a moment. "Why do't we go see them?" She suggested.

"What?" Jess said glancing up at her.

"Come on, Jess. I know you and I can see you're worried. Why don't we take a trip there for a few days?" Charlotte said.

"It's fine. Luke said they're fine." Jess said.

"And I'm sure they are but it could still be fun to go. Plus we could ease the pressure on Luke a bit. I bet TJ's driving him crazy." She said.

Jess smirked. "I'm pretty sure he is."

"Well then, we should go! What do you say?" Charlotte grinned.

"Luke left me in charge here...I can't just leave Lane in the lurch." Jess hesitated.

Just then Rory came in and joined them at the counter. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Great timing!" Charlotte grinned. "How would you like to help out here for a few days with Lane?"

"Here? Why?" Rory asked.

"Jess and I want to go to the Renaissance faire. Help ease the pressure on Luke a bit and Jess wants to check on his mom."

"I didn't say that..." Jess said.

"Oh shush you!" Charlotte said. "So what do you say? I know you and Logan have plans..."

"He's actually gone to hang out with Colin and Finn for a few days so I actually have nothing to do. And I've missed hanging out with Lane." Rory shrugged. "Sure why not!"

"You are the best sister!" Charlotte beamed.

"I'll make sure you get paid." Jess said.

"Even better!" Rory grinned.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't come?" Charlotte asked Lorelai as they headed to the front door of the Crap Shack, Charlotte with a shoulder bag. "I know you miss Luke."

"I do. I wish I could come but the inn is just so busy right now." Lorelai sighed.

"Well I'll say hi to him from you then." Charlotte smiled. "Oh Jess is here!" She said as she saw him driving into their driveway.

"Jess is driving?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah." Charlotte nodded. She then noticed the expression on her mom's face. "What?"

"Well...the last time you two were in a car together you ended up..." Lorelai started and then sighed. "Look, I know it wasn't Jess' fault but I'm still your mom so I still get to worry."

"We'll be fine, mom." Charlotte said softly as they walked over to the car.

"Just...call me once you get there ok? Let me know you got there safely." Lorelai said.

"I will." Charlotte smiled giving her a hug. "We'll be back before you know it and we'll make sure we have Luke with us." She joked.

"You better!" Lorelai laughed. "Have fun."

"Bye mom." Charlotte smiled getting into the car.

Lorelai glanced over at Jess. "Drive safe." She said.

"I will." Jess nodded. "See ya."

"Bye." Lorelai said and she watched them drive off out of sight.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess got to the Renaissance Faire that afternoon. They spotted Liz's booth and they both smirked at each other when they saw Luke in the midle of an argument with TJ.

"You're putting the pewter next to the turquoise?" TJ was asking him.

"Looks like it." Luke said gruffly.

"We don't usually put the pewter next to the turquoise." TJ said.

"Well, I'm a maverick." Luke said.

"Mm-hmm." TJ said slurping from his drink. "It might be why the pewter ain't moving." He said.

"Pewter's moving just fine, TJ." Luke said clenching his fists.

"Don't do it. He's not worth it." Charlotte grinned walking up to him.

"Plus you'd get done for assault." Jess smirked. "Although I can see why it's tempting."

"What are you two doing here?" Luke asked surprised.

"We've come to help. You've had to stay longer than you thought so we thought you might like some company." Charlotte said.

"Some sane company." Jess smirked.

"Wait a minute, if you're here who's..." Luke started.

"Rory." Jess said predicting what he was going to ask. "She was happy to help out until we got back. Is that ok?"

"Oh. Yeah. That's fine." Luke said. "She was ok with it?"

"Logan's gone away with some friends for a few days and I think she's missed hanging out with Lane so it's a win win." Charlotte smiled.

"We did promise her she would get paid though..." Jess admitted.

"Oh yeah. I'll make sure she gets something." Luke said.

"So...how's it going?" Charlotte asked.

"Don't ask." He grumbled.

"That fun huh?" Charlotte teased.

"Excuse me?" A woman came up to them.

"Hi, can I help you?" Luke said.

"Yeah. I'm looking for the Shakespeare stage." She said.

"Ok..uh..you walk past the Calumba booth, veer right at the drinking horns then left at the antler ark." Luke said.

"Thank you." She smiled and walked off.

"Luuuuuke?" TJ said.

"What TJ?" He said gritting his teeth.

"You didn't use the approved Faire language with that customer." He said.

"Maverick, me, remember?" Luke said.

"There's undercover Faire officials walking around. They look for that kind of stuff." TJ said.

"Well, they should get real jobs." Luke said.

"Would it kill you to shoot her a 'Good-morrow'?"

"Look, TJ..." Luke said annoyed, approaching him. He suddenly stopped when he heard voices coming from under his blanket. He snatched it away to reveal a tv. "I don't believe it!" He exclaimed.

"I know. The Yanks went with Mussina. They should have gone with Brown." TJ said feigning innocence.

"You're watching tv!" Luke exclaimed.

"I'm not ready for my nap."

"You're milking it."

"I'm convalescing."

"And you're milking me. But no more. Find some help, get a crutch because by week's end, I'm gone!" Luke said firmly.

"Liz, you hearing this?" TJ exclaimed.

"What?" She said appearing pulling her earphones out of her ears. "Jess!" She said surprised, spotting her son. "Wow, I've really missed a lot. I was listening to my Deepak Chopra."

"I've got things to do. I've got a business and a life!" Luke said.

"But my arm!" TJ said.

"Had no trouble reaching into a tub of caramel corn last night while you were scratching yourself with the other. Your dexterity's fine."

"TJ, it's time for him to go." Liz said.

"We don't mind helping out." Charlotte said. "We can take Luke's place if he wants to get back."

"Really?" Luke said surprised.

"I know mom's missing you." Charlotte said. "And Kirk." She smirked.

"Kirk misses everyone." Luke said.

"But you're his best friend. He told us." Jess smirked.

"Urgh, lucky me." Luke said sarcastically.

"We don't mind honestly though." Charlotte smiled. "Right Jess?"

"I guess not." Jess said.

Luke sighed. "I'll stay until tomorrow morning and then I'll go."

"So you're really going to break up the team, huh?" TJ said.

"I'm no help. I'm not moving the pewter." Luke said dryly before walking off.

* * *

The following morning, Jess was sat in one of TJ's seat watching Charlotte and Luke sell some more of the jewellery together. Luke was heading back to Stars Hollow in about an hour. He suddenly saw someone sit down next to him. He turned to see Liz there. "Hey.." He said.

"Hey." Liz smiled softly. "You didn't have to come..."

"Charlotte wouldn't really take no for an answer. She had it under the impression that I was worried about you." Jess said.

"And of course you would never be." Liz said smirking slightly.

Jess smirked slightly. "Of course." He said. "I think she wanted to help Luke out too."

"Yeah he has been a lifesaver but I know TJ has got on his nerves a bit." Liz laughed.

"A bit?" Jess said raising his eyebrows.

"Don't you start! That's my husband you're talking about." Liz said.

Jess smirked. He glanced over at her. "So..uh..you're ok now right?"

Liz smiled softly. "Yeah I'm ok. And TJ's healing up."

"Good." Jess said gruffly.

"You know, you and Charlotte can head back with Luke if you like? I know you said you'd stay a few days but you don't need to. We'll be fine." Liz said. "I'm sure you have better things to do."

Jess glanced at her. "Nah it's ok. We can stay another day." He said.

"Really?" Liz asked.

Jess gave her a small smile. "Can't have TJ passing out, can we?" He said with a smirk.

Liz laughed. "No, that wouldn't be good." She then smiled at him. "Thanks, Jess." She said softly.

"It's nothing. It wasn't that long a drive." Jess said.

"That's not what I meant." Liz said softly. "Thank you for coming."

Jess gave her a small smile. "It's cool." He said gruffly.

They were suddenly interrupted by Charlotte's squeal. They looked up to see her celebrating a sale. "I did it! Did you hear me? I should have been born in the Renaissance era!" She grinned at Luke.

Luke chuckled. "You were very impressive."

Liz smiled as she watched Jess smirk as he watched her. "So things are good with two now?" She asked.

Jess glanced at her. "Yeah. She..uh..forgave me and gave me a second chance." He said smiling slightly.

"I'm glad." Liz smiled. "You deserve happiness, Jess."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah..."

"You do. And I'm glad you've found it. She seems great." Liz smiled.

Jess smiled. "Yeah, she is." He admitted.

"I'd really like to get to know her better."

Jess glanced at her. "I'm sure she'd like that too." He said.

"And you?" She questioned.

"I'd like that too." He said giving her a small smile.

"Good." Liz smiled softly. "I better go find TJ before Luke gets off."

"Hey mom?" Jess said.

"Yeah?"

"You seem happy..." Jess said quietly.

Liz smiled. "Yeah I am. I really am." She said softly.

"I'm glad." He said giving her a small smile.

Liz smiled at him before walking off in search of TJ.

* * *

Luke arrived back in Stars Hollow later that afternoon. He headed straight to the inn because he knew Lorelai would be there. He went in and immediately saw her behind the reception desk and smiled. "Hey." He said going up to her.

"Luke!" She said surprised.

"Hey." He grinned.

"I can't believe you're finally back!" Lorelai grinned coming round and giving him a kiss. "I had to check you aren't a mirage." She grinned.

"I told you I was coming back." He chuckled.

"Yes, but you lied to me repeatedly for weeks so your credibility's been shattered." She said.

"True but Charlotte and Jess has relieved me off my duties. They're staying until tomorrow I think." He said.

"Sweet kids." Lorelai smiled.

"So, I brought you something." Luke said handing her a jewellery box.

Lorelai opened it and gasped. "Luke, it's beautiful." She said softly taking out the necklace.

"I thought it would match the earrings I got you before. If they don't, I'll take them back." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled and pulled her hair away from her ears to reveal the earrings. "Definitely goes." She smiled holding it up next to them.

"Oh yeah, look at that. Perfect match." He smiled.

"Perfect match." She smiled softly. "Thank you." She said leaning in to kiss him again. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." He admitted.

"So..I'm actually nearly finished here and Rory's staying over at Lane's tonight so I've got the house to myself. Fancy coming over?" She asked.

Luke smiled. "I'd like that." He said.

"Great! Let me just finish up and then we can go." She smiled.

"Ok. I'll wait." He smiled as he watched her walk off to presumably tell Sookie. He smiled to himself. _It was definitely good to be home._ He thought.

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :) I really do appreciate all of your reviews so thank you! :)**


	47. Chapter 47

**Thank you again for the continued support! :)**

Chapter 46

"Shaken, not stirred, please, Jeeves." Lorelai joked as she, Charlotte and Rory sat on the couch in the pool house.

"His name is Robert." Richard said.

"I thought every butler's name was Jeeves." Lorelai said.

"He's not a butler. He's a valet." He told her.

"So he parks your car?"

"No, he does not park my car. He does exactly what you see him doing."

"So he's a bartender?"

"He attends to my needs." Richard said.

"So he's a geisha." Lorelai grinned.

"You'll be quieter once you have a drink, I assume." Richard said giving her a look. He then turned to Rory and Charlotte. "So, young ladies, you're starting your second year of Yale this week..." He smiled.

"Yeah, we move into Branford on Monday." Rory nodded.

"You're going to love Branford College. That where I lived, you know." Richard smiled.

"We know." Charlotte smiled.

"It is the oldest of Yale's residential colleges. They have these Carillon bells that are enchanting and it has, what was called by Robert Frost, the most beautiful college courtyard in America." He said proudly.

"Well, how about when we get settled in, we can have lunch there?" Charlotte suggested.

"That's a deal." He smiled happily.

"So what's new with you Lorelai?" Richard turned back to his daughter.

"Oh..uh.." Lorelai said surprised. She saw her daughters glance at her. They had been trying to persuade her to tell her parents about her engagement to Luke.

"Things are going well with the inn?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, very well. We're getting booked up." Lorelai smiled.

"Good. I was very impressed by it." Richard nodded.

"Thanks dad." Lorelai smiled softly. She took a deep breath. "Actually, dad, I do have something I want to share with you..." She said.

"Go on." He said.

"Uh..well...the night of test run, Luke..uh..he asked me...well he asked me to marry him..." She said.

"Ah yes, I did wonder when he was going to ask." Richard said smiling slightly.

"Wait what? You knew?" Lorelai said surprised.

"He came and asked for my permission." He nodded.

"He asked you?" She asked stunned.

"Yes. I was very surprised too but I was very appreciative that he did. He's a good man." Richard said.

Lorelai smiled softly. "Yeah he is." She said. "That's why I said yes..."

"Well I wouldn't expect any other answer." Richard said. He smiled at his daughter. "Congratulations."

"Thanks dad." Lorelai said letting out a breath. "Does mom...?"

"I don't think she knows, no." Richard said.

Just then the maid from the main house appeared to tell them that dinner was ready in the main house.

"This is crazy." Charlotte said. "Why can't we just have dinner altogether?"

"Because they're separated." Rory said.

"By a poolhouse!" Charlotte said.

"Come on, Grandma's expecting us." Rory said as they headed through to the main house.

Eventually dinner was over and they were on their way home. Charlotte and Rory glanced at each other and then at their mom. "I think the separation is probably just affecting her..." Charlotte said quietly.

Lorelai snorted. "Yeah..."

Charlotte sighed. "I thought Grandma liked Luke..."

"She obviously liked him until I got engaged to him." Lorelai mumbled.

"Well Grandpa was happy for you..." Rory said trying to cheer her up.

Lorelai sighed and gave her daughters a small smile. "Yeah I guess..."

"Let's have a movie night tonight." Charlotte suggested. "It's our last night before going back to Yale."

"Don't you want to hang out with Jess?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"You're more important." Charlotte smiled at her.

* * *

The following morning, the three of them walked into the diner.

"Mom, at least you told her right?" Charlotte was saying as they sat down at a table. "Remember with Max...she was so upset that you hadn't told her..."

"Now she's just upset that I'm getting married to Luke." Lorelai sighed.

"We're sorry, mom." Rory said.

"Ah well eh? I'm still getting married whether she likes it or not." She said.

"Although may we remind you that you have promised that you won't talk wedding plans without us or without conferring with us first." Charlotte said.

"Uh hello? You're my maids of honour! You are a big part of the planning process." Lorelai said as if it was obvious.

"Good." Charlotte grinned. "I still can't believe you and Luke are getting married."

"Yeah it feels unreal." Rory nodded. "Everyone's been waiting for this for years." She joked.

"Yeah yeah ok! We were a bit slow but we got there in the end." Lorelai said.

"Got where?" Luke asked coming up to the table.

"Us getting married." Lorelai grinned.

"Ah right." Luke said. "You two heading back to Yale?" He asked Charlotte and Rory.

"Yep." Rory nodded.

"Anything you want on the house." He smiled.

"Cool!" Charlotte grinned. "I'll have my usual."

"Me too." Rory said.

"Coming right up." Luke said. He glanced at Lorelai and gestured for her to follow him.

"I'll be right back." She told them before going following him up to the counter. "Hey!" She smiled at him.

"How did it go with your parents?" He asked cautiously.

"Don't ask." She sighed.

"That bad?" He sighed.

"My mother, yes. My father, surprisingly happy for us." Lorelai shrugged.

Back at the table, Charlotte and Rory were drinking their coffee that Lane had brought them. "So remind me again why I agreed to live with Paris again?" Charlotte said.

"Because you love us." Rory grinned.

"You maybe, Paris well..." Charlotte smirked.

"She's not that bad." Rory laughed.

"Well anyway, I suggest a Gilmore movie night tonight at Yale." She said.

"I like your thinking." Rory said. "I'm sure we could persuade Paris."

Charlotte then spotted Jess who had appeared downstairs. "I'll be right back." She said getting up and going over to him. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey." He smiled. "So second year back at Yale. You excited?" He asked.

"Yeah although I seem to have agreed to share with Paris again." She smirked.

"Oh dear." Jess smirked. "So..I'm not working at the diner today and Andrew doesn't need me so I was wondering if you fancied some company for the first night at Yale?"

"Are you serious?" Charlotte asked excitedly.

"I'm serious." He nodded. "You interested?"

"You bet I am! Yay that means I don't need to say goodbye to you yet." She grinned, leaning in to kiss him. "So you want to drive with us? We're leaving after we've eaten."

"Sure." He nodded. "Let me just go grab some things."

"Ok!" She grinned and then returned to the table. "So Jess is coming for the night!"

"Oh cool!" Rory smiled.

"Is Logan coming today?" She asked.

"No, tomorrow." She said.

"Food is served!" Lorelai grinned as she and Luke returned to the table with the food.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Charlotte and Rory were directing two moving men carrying a sofa into their dorm lobby.

"Careful. If you stain that, my grandmother will hunt you down and kill you. I wish that I was kidding. I'll get the door." Rory told them.

"Seriously?" Jess asked Charlotte.

"Oh yeah, you do not want to incur the wrath of my Grandma." Charlotte smirked.

"Yikes." Jess smirked.

"Charlotte, Rory!" Marty suddenly called, appearing.

"Marty!" Charlotte smiled. She glanced at Jess before hesitantly going over to give her friend a hug.

"Rory, hey." Marty smiled, hugging her too.

"Hey Marty." Rory smiled.

Marty glanced at Jess. "Jess." He nodded.

"Marty." Jess nodded back.

"So, are you living here?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm living here." Marty nodded.

"Cool! So are we!" Charlotte smiled as Rory let the movers in. "So how was your summer?" She asked as they entered the dorm.

"I met Nicole Richie and then spent the next six weeks showering." Marty said.

"I can't believe Paris isn't here yet." Rory said looking round. "She's never late." She said pulling out her cell.

"So what are your plans for your first night here?" Charlotte asked Marty.

"Nothing much. My roommate doesn't arrive until tomorrow so I'll probably just chill a bit." He said.

"We're having a movie night. Typical Gilmore night." She joked.

"Sounds fun." He smiled.

"You should join us." Jess said, surprising everyone.

"Oh I wouldn't want to impose." Marty said.

Jess shrugged. "You wouldn't." He said glancing at Charlotte. "Right?"

"Yeah, right..." Charlotte said surprised by Jess' attitude towards Marty.

"If you're not doing anything, you should come." Jess said. "New year, new start right?"

Marty smiled at him. "Right." He said. "Ok yeah. Thanks. I'll just go unpack first though and I'll meet you down here later?"

"Sounds good! See you later." Charlotte smiled and watched Marty leave. She turned to Jess. "Thank you." She smiled softly.

"He's your friend. I was a jerk last year and I told myself I wouldn't be like that this year." Jess shrugged. "Plus he's not that bad."

"Still...thank you." Charlotte smiled giving him a kiss.

"Heart attack?" Rory suddenly said on the phone causing them to turn around. "Oh Paris, I'm so sorry...Yeah ok...See you later." She said hanging up. "Asher died..." She told them.

"Oh god...Poor Paris." Charlotte said shocked.

"It was a heart attack." Rory said.

"Geez..." Charlotte said quietly.

* * *

The evening plans at Yale somehow changed slightly when Paris wanted to hold a wake for Asher.

"I'm sorry. Plans changed a bit." Charlotte said going up to Jess and Marty.

"It's fine." Jess said.

"Yeah don't worry. I guess this gives Paris closure..." Marty said. "Interesting crowd." He said looking round.

"Yeah, most of the people have no idea they're at a wake. They think it's some weird theme party. I've spent the entire evening trying to get people to stop referring to Asher as the old dead dude." Charlotte sighed.

"Does Paris know?" Jess asked.

"Paris, thank goodness, is Paris." Charlotte said.

Paris then came up to them. "Hi, Marty. Thank you for coming. Please help yourself to a book." She said somberly.

"The wake seems to be going well." He commented.

"It is." She nodded looking around. "I'm very pleased with the turnout. I mean, I knew he was beloved but this is overwhelming."

Charlotte suddenly saw some guys come in with a keg, her eyes widening. She smiled thankfully when Jess and Marty quietly went over and got rid of them.

"You know, it's funny, but Asher died right at the height of my passion for him. I kind of wonder what would have happened if he had lived. Would I have stayed in love with him forever?" Paris said as Rory came up to them.

"I don't know." Charlotte said.

"He died before I could find out. Now I'll always be in love with him. He's my Mike Todd." Paris said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said giving her a hug.

"It will get better." Rory smiled supportively at her.

Paris smiled tremulously at them both. "Thank you." She said quietly. "For letting me do this. I know it wasn't exactly what you had planned..."

"Oh you don't need to thank us." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, we were happy to help." Rory smiled.

"Well...thank you anyway." She smiled at them before walking away.

Rory sighed. "Poor Paris..." She said.

"Yeah." Charlotte said. "I mean, I know we always thought her and Asher were a bit...well you know. But I can't imagine losing someone I love." She said quietly, glancing over at Jess. "Well...so permanently anyway."

"Yeah..." Rory said quietly.

"So I thought you guys were having a movie night..." A voice said behind them.

"Logan!" Rory exclaimed surprised turning round and giving him a hug and a kiss. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you too much." Logan smiled. "What's going on here?"

"Asher Fleming died..." Rory said.

"Oh..." Logan said.

"Whatever you think, make sure Paris thinks you came specifically for the wake." Charlotte said.

"Noted." Logan smirked.

* * *

"Well that was a surreal evening." Charlotte said getting into her double bed with Jess.

"You could say that again." Jess smirked.

"At least it helped Paris." She said. "I can't imagine losing someone I loved..." She said quietly.

"Yeah..." Jess said quietly, glancing at her.

"Thank you for being so nice to Marty this evening." She said softly.

"He's a good guy." He shrugged. "I see that now."

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah he is."

"So...have you heard that Lane likes Zach?" He smirked.

"No!" Charlotte exclaimed. "When did this happen?"

"Only recently. She hasn't told him yet though." Jess chuckled.

"Aww I'm glad Lane's found someone. I think it was hard for her when her and Dave called it a day." Charlotte said. "Let's hope Zach feels the same."

"I don't think Zach has any idea..."

"He's a nice guy though...in his own way." Charlotte smirked.

Jess smirked. "Yeah he's a good guy."

"Well you need to encourage Lane to tell him!"

"Why me?" Jess said.

"Because you're around her the whole time. She deserves some happiness. Please?" Charlotte said.

Jess sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you!" Charlotte grinned giving him a kiss. "So...I bought a double bed for a reason..." She said.

"A specific reason huh?" He smirked.

"Yep. Want to guess what?" She grinned.

"Oh I think I can hazard a guess." He smirked. "I love you." He smiled reaching over and pulling her close.

"I love you too." She smiled softly, going in for another kiss and deepening it this time.

 **I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! Your support really does mean a lot to me so thank you! :)**


	48. Chapter 48

**Thank you for you continued support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 47

Jess was hanging out at Lane, Zach and Brian's place after having played at the selectman rally. Jess watched as Zach entertained two giggly blondes who were clinging to either side of him on the couch whilst Brian hovered nearby. He then glanced over at Lane who was pouring snacks into a bowl scowling over at Zach.

"Oh man, I am flying. I mean it, I am two, three feet in the air!" Zach said celebrating their set.

"It was tight." Brian nodded.

"No one plays guitar like you, Zach." One of the girls said sweetly.

"Totally." The other girl said.

"It was more than just the gifts, sweetheart. It was the material." Zach said.

Jess got up and went over to Lane. "You know, instead of scowling at them, you could actually tell Zach how you feel." He said.

"Yeah, like he'd be interested in me. Look at those girls! They're beautiful." Lane snorted.

"You've got so much going for you than those blonde bimbos." Jess said. "Zach would be a fool not to notice that."

Lane glanced at him. "You really think I should tell him?" She asked biting her lip.

"I do." He nodded. "And look, if he doesn't react in the way you would like, at least you tried right?"

Lane sighed. "I guess..."

"But just for the record, I think he'd be a fool to say no to you." Jess said.

Lane smiled softly at him. "Thanks Jess."

"Ok, who needs refills?" Zach suddenly said getting up. Jess gave Lane a supportive smile and then made himself scarce. Zach went into the kitchen. "Grab us a couple of beers, would you?" He asked Lane.

"Ok." Lane said taking two beers out of the fridge.

"What are you doing in here? Come and join the party." Zach said.

Lane took a deep breath before turning round to face him with the two cans. "I like you, Zach. I like you as more than a bandmate and more than a friend. I like you. I have liked you for some time now and I don't think this feeling is going to go away. I just thought you should know. Here's your beer." She said handing him the two cans and then rushing off to her bedroom.

Stunned, Zach walked back to the sofa and dumped the cans into the girls' hands. "I need some air.." He said before leaving.

* * *

A couple of days later, Jess was on the phone to Charlotte.

"So Zach hasn't said anything?" Charlotte asked.

"Nope. Not a word since Lane told him how she felt." Jess said. "She's tried to bring it up but he just changes the subject."

"Poor Lane..." Charlotte sighed.

"I've a good mind to kick Zach's ass. He would be lucky to have Lane." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. "I love how protective of Lane you are." She said. She had noticed how Jess had become closer to Lane since joining the band and working in the diner with her.

"She's a good friend." Jess said gruffly.

"Yeah she is." Charlotte smiled. "Well I hope Zach gets his mind sorted and does something. Keep me updated?"

"Will do. How's Yale?"

"Good. I'm enjoying it. How's life back in Stars Hollow?" She asked.

"Not bad. Crazy as usual." Jess smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "But you love it anyway!"

"It's better when you're here."

"Aw you're turning soft, Mariano." She teased.

"You tell anyone and I'll have to kill you. Can't have my rep being damaged."

"Your secret's safe with me. Anyway, I've got to go but I'll see you this weekend." Charlotte said.

"See you then. Bye."

"Bye Jess." Charlotte smiled, hanging up.

* * *

"I can't believe we've officially become afterthoughts!" Lorelai said as she, Charlotte and Rory sat on the couch in the Gilmore Mansion but minus Emily and Richard.

"Would you like me to make you two something for dinner?" The maid offered.

"Well, since everyone's gone, maybe I'll just head back to school." Rory said. "I have a lot of work to do at the paper."

"Oh yeah, apparently Rory's uncovered a secret society within Yale." Charlotte said.

"Ooh sounds exciting!" Lorelai said.

"It's not a big deal. Logan's in it. I just think it would be a good article, that's all." Rory shrugged.

"It sounds like privileged rich boys doing stupid stunts and risking their lives and wasting their parents' money." Charlotte said.

"Hey! They're not all like that!" Rory said defensively.

"Ok, well option one would be to go back to school. However, another option would be staying here, ordering pizza, and eating dinner on the living room floor on paper plates." Lorelai said changing the subject.

"You're evil!" Rory joked.

"But such a good idea!" Charlotte grinned.

"Would you bring us a phone book, please?" Lorelai asked the maid.

"Right away." The maid said walking off.

"Get crazy!" Lorelai grinned at them.

"Ok!" Charlotte grinned taking off her shoes.

"We have to really live it up. Carpe Diem, baby!" Lorelai grinned.

"I'm touching the rug with my feet!" Rory exclaimed.

"Ooh, you're perverse!" Lorelai joked.

"Hey and when she brings the drinks, let's not use coasters!" Rory said.

"Hey, I wonder if there's anything in here that we could un-alphabetize." Lorelai grinned.

"The rug is so soft! Oh, you would not believe!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Gluing everything in this room to the ceiling so that it's in exactly the same place, but upside down, be going too far?" Lorelai asked.

"A little." Charlotte smirked.

"So any wedding preparations yet?" Rory asked.

"Not really. But I think we might have it at the inn." Lorelai told them.

"The Dragonfly?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. I sort of know the boss so we can get it relatively cheap." Lorelai joked.

"Sure." Rory nodded.

"And Sookie is catering obviously." Lorelai said.

"Well duh." Charlotte said. "But you do know you won't be able to keep Sookie away from the kitchen right?"

"Ah I've thought of that! I've told her she can slave all she wants before the wedding but on the day, she's all mine." Lorelai said. "If I see her sneak into the kitchen, she won't be my bridesmaid anymore."

"Oooh harsh!" Charlotte laughed.

"Anyway, do you want some gossip?" She asked.

"Of course." Rory said.

"Sherry left your dad." Lorelai told them.

"What? When?" Rory asked surprised.

"A couple of days ago. She got a job offer in Paris and she packed her tiny pants in a bag and bailed." Lorelai said.

"What about Gigi?" Charlotte frowned.

"Left her with Chris." She said.

"No way." Charlotte said.

"Yeah. He came home and the nanny handed him a letter."

"I can't believe this! How could she just leave like that?" Rory said.

"I have no idea."

"How do you know all this?" Charlotte asked.

"He called me."

"When?" Charlotte frowned.

"Yesterday. He was freaking out because he couldn't stop Gigi from crawling out of her crib, and you know, I do have to hand it to him, he gets extra points for the very original duct taping of the diaper move. That place was a wreck." Lorelai said.

"You went over there?" Charlotte asked, exchanging a look with Rory.

"Oh yeah. But I calmed him down, and, you know, we sort of got the place in order and I think everything's going to be ok. I'm going to go back on Monday and just make sure that everyone's still breathing." Lorelai said.

"Well, that's very nice of you." Rory said.

"Well, your dad is going to need a little help being...a dad. Because, I mean...well he was your dad, so no newsflash here. But you should see Gigi. She's huge, and gorgeous and a belcher." She laughed just as the maid came with the phonebook. "Oh great! Dinner is served!" She grinned flipping through the phonebook while Rory and Charlotte exchanged worried glances.

* * *

"Why won't you tell me anything?" Rory complained as she hung out with Logan at her dorm.

"Because I don't know anything about it." Logan smirked.

"You so do, you big liar." Rory pouted.

"Well it's called secret for a reason." Logan chuckled.

"You're my boyfriend! I can't believe you won't help me with my article."

"Sorry." He smirked.

Just then Charlotte came in. "You ready?" She asked her sister.

"Yeah!" Rory nodded getting up. "Sorry, Charlotte and I have to go do something." She told Logan. "I'll be back later."

"Ok." Logan nodded.

"It will give you time to persuade yourself to help me." Rory grinned.

"You just keep thinking that." Logan smirked giving her a kiss. "Call you later?"

"Yeah, I'll ring when I'm back." Rory smiled. "Ok, let's go." She smiled at Charlotte.

Later, they were stood outside a flat and knocked on the door. It opened and Chris was stood there.

"Rory, Charlotte, hey!" He said surprised. "What are you two doing here? It's good to see you, kiddo!" He said giving them both hugs. "Uh, come on in, sit down. Gigi is asleep, which is basically a miracle, but what the hell, for you I'll wake her up." He joked.

"No you don't need to." Charlotte said glancing over at the cot and smiling slightly at how cute their sister looked fast asleep. "She's good?" She asked her dad.

"Yeah she's good." Chris nodded.

"Good." Charlotte said.

"Are you sure you don't want to come sit down?" He asked.

"No, that's ok. We can't stay long." Rory said.

"Ok." He said. "So..."

"We don't want you calling Mom anymore." Charlotte said crossing her arms against her chest.

"What?" Chris said surprised.

"We want you to stay away from her." Rory said.

"Girls, I..." Chris started not knowing what to say.

"Mom's in a relationship now and she's doing really great. She's engaged and she's really happy. He's kind and, well, he's there. She's happy, dad." Charlotte said.

"I think that's great. I..." He started.

"You'll mess it up!" Charlotte said. "You'll mess everything up! Because every time you come back, it always ends up the same way. Mom's crying and you're not being there and I know it's not your fault, I know you don't mean it to be that way but that's how it is."

"I just needed some help. That's all." Chris said.

"Well, next time you need help, call a nanny or a babysitter or call us!" Rory said. "Charlotte's always talking about wanting to see Gigi and it would be cool for us to spend time with her. So call me or Charlotte if you need anything. Just leave Mom alone." She said.

"We're sorry, we have to go. Kiss Gigi for us." Charlotte said and then the two of us left, leaving Chris standing there stunned.

* * *

"Something wrong?" Emily asked stiffly as they were all sat at the dining room table for dinner.

"No, why?" Lorelai asked.

"You're not eating." Emily said.

"No, I am." Lorelai said.

"You've taken two bites." Emily said.

"Two really big bites!"

"Charlotte and Rory have taken none."

"We did, you just missed it." Rory said.

"You're full." Emily said.

"No!" Lorelai protested.

"He can't stick to a simple agreement! He makes deals all the time in business, but drinks there, dinner here, somehow that's too difficult for him to manage." Emily said angrily.

"He was just..." Charlotte tried.

"He was trying to upstage me. He was trying to make his part of the evening the fun part. He's a child. A spoiled four-year-old. I should take his dump truck away and send him to bed without supper. Or, as he calls it, appetizers." She said.

"Mom, seriously, we are starving. Look!" Lorelai said forcing a bite down. "Mmm, wow!" She said. She glanced at her daughters. "Eat some carrots, eat some carrots." She said.

"Carrots." Charlotte smiled weakly. "Delicious." She said forcing some down.

"Well, if you're both that hungry, you must want more. Olga! Good timing! The girls are famished. Load 'em up." Emily said just as a cell phone rang. "Lorelai!" She scolded.

"What? It's not me!" Lorelai said.

"It's me, Grandma. I'm sorry." Charlotte said, checking the caller ID and smiling slightly. "I have to take this. Promise I'll be quick." She said getting up to leave. "Hey!" She said. "No it's fine."

"Who's she talking to?" Emily asked.

"How should I know?" Lorelai said although she knew it was probably Jess.

"Well you're the one who allowed her to leave her cell phone on at the table." She said.

"That's for safety, Mom. In case someone forces her to eat five chickens and she has to call 911." Lorelai joked.

"Is it a boy?" She asked. "I thought she broke up with that diner boy."

"Uh..no..they got back together a while ago now." Lorelai admitted.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought you knew." Lorelai said.

"How would I have known?" Emily said.

"Sorry, I assumed Charlotte would have told you."

"Well she didn't." Emily said stiffly. "I swear those two are on and off every week. Is that healthy?"

"They're fine mom. They're happy." Lorelai said.

"And he's the nephew of that man you're determined to marry, isn't it?"

"Luke. Yes." Lorelai said stiffly.

"I see." Emily said stiffly.

"Leave them alone, mom. Charlotte is happy with Jess. Please don't meddle." Lorelai warned.

"Of course." Emily said but smiled slightly to herself.

"Sorry, Grandma. That won't happen again." Charlotte said coming back in.

"That's all right. So how is Jess?" She asked sweetly.

Charlotte glanced at Lorelai who gave her an apologetic look. "He's fine." She said. "Oh Zach has finally processed and him and Lane have been on a date." She told Rory.

"About time!" Rory laughed.

"I didn't know you were still seeing him." Emily told Charlotte. "It seemed final last time."

"Oh, well, we're back together." Charlotte said. "He's been really busy lately at the diner and he's been working on stuff in the band as well. I've had so much schoolwork that we keep missing each other, so I told him to call me tonight."

"Well thank you for telling me. I'm just glad I got to hear it from you and didn't have to pick it up on the street somewhere." Emily smiled sweetly.

They finished their food and Emily watched them leave before going to the pool house. "We need to talk." She said as Richard opened the door and let her in.

* * *

Lane was refilling the coffee pot at the diner when Luke passed her. "Oh, the man at table three wants to send an orange juice to the woman at table four." She told him.

"As long as he's paying." Luke said. He glanced at Liz who was reading the paper at the counter. "If someone who wants to eat comes in here..." He said.

"I'm out, I got it." Liz said.

Lorelai came into the diner and smiled at Lane. "Hey Lane!"

"Hi! Oh, potential hookup at table four!" She told her.

"Oh wow, diner love. Over easy takes on a whole new meaning." She joked sitting down at the counter where she immediately saw Liz. "Hey Liz!" She smiled.

"Hey!" Liz smiled giving her a hug.

"I didn't know you were back!" Lorelai said.

"Yeah, just cruised in." Liz said.

"Well how are you? How's TJ?"

"He's great. He's gotten taller." She said.

"I'm so glad to hear it." Lorelai laughed.

"So you and my brother, huh? I hear he wants to make an honest woman out of you." Liz beamed.

"Yeah, well..." Lorelai smiled.

"I'm so jazzed. I want wedding details." She said excitedly.

"Tell her nothing." Luke said as he came up to them.

"Really, nothing? Not even about your Canadian mountie hat?" Lorelai teased.

"Liz, you have been sitting there for over an hour." Luke said.

"I know. I'm almost done." She said.

"Whatcha doing?" Lorelai asked.

"TJ and I are thinking about buying a winter place, you know, something nice for when the Renaissance Fair season's over." She told her.

"You're moving to Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked.

"No." Luke said.

"Thinking about it." Liz nodded. "There's some great places for sale around here."

"They're not for sale, they've all been sold." Luke said.

"Plus there's a few stores around here that are willing to sell my jewellery on consignment. And I'd like a house, you know, with a fence and a lawn..."

"No lawns in Stars Hollow, we had them taken out." Luke said.

"Hey, how much did you pay for your house?" Liz asked Lorelai.

"Oh don't ask her that! You can't ask people stuff like that."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't!" He said turning to Lorelai. "Don't tell her how much you paid for your house." He said. "You don't want to live here." He told Liz.

"Yes I do." Liz said.

"It's too quiet for you."

"I like quiet."

"You do not like quiet. TJ does not like quiet. He likes monster trucks and baboons that get really mad at the zoo." Luke said.

"That's true, he does like that." Liz smiled.

"Luke, stop. You're going to like living so close to your family. And I'm sure Jess would like it too."

"Yes, I've seen how much you enjoy living so close to yours. What can I get you?" Luke asked her.

"Hmm. Nothing looks good." She said looking at the menu.

"I'll make you a burger."

"I don't want a burger."

"Make her your gumbo. Oh, he makes the most amazing gumbo." Liz enthused.

"You make gumbo?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"And great Mexican food." Liz nodded.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"Makes his own tortillas." Liz said.

"Got to make your own tortillas. The ones in the package are crap." Luke smirked.

"And garlic soup and paella! He was really into lasagna for a while, got obsessed. Made hundreds of lasagnas trying to find the perfect recipe. He wore an apron..." Liz beamed.

"Ok!" Luke said interrupting her. "Liz, you don't even live here yet."

"Fine. I gotta bail anyhow." She said. "TJ's meeting me at the realtor's office. Lorelai, it was great seeing you again."

"You too!" Lorelai smiled.

"Later, bro." Liz said.

"Uh huh." Luke said watching her leave.

"You've been holding out on me." Lorelai raised her eyebrows at Luke.

"What?" Luke said.

"Uh..paella, gumbo, lasagna king?" She said.

"You know, I have many talents, ok?"

"I know. I mean the way you keep that mountie hat perfectly balanced the entire time we're..." Lorelai grinned.

"Ok, so if you keep making mountie hat jokes, you're going to eventually believe that there's an actual mountie hat." Luke smirked.

"Well, I'm very impressed. Or at least I would be if I had any proof of these extraordinary cooking skills of yours." Lorelai said.

"Ok. I'm going to cook you the most amazing meal of your life." Luke smiled.

"This weekend?"

"Stop making the mountie jokes and you're on."

"Deal. Blueberry muffin to go?"

"You got it." He said giving her one. "See you later?"

"Later." Lorelai smiled giving him a kiss before leaving.

* * *

"Hello?" Charlotte answered her cell as she got ready to leave for class.

"Charlotte, it's your grandmother." Emily said.

"Oh, hi Grandma." Charlotte said.

"Your grandfather is here also." She said.

"Hello Charlotte. How are you?" Richard's voice said.

"Oh..uh..fine, Grandpa, and you?" Charlotte asked surprised that they were obviously together.

"We're wonderful, thank you for asking." Richard said.

"Charlotte, we're sorry to bother you at school but next Friday your grandfather and I agreed to host a little Yale alumni event at our house." Emily said.

"It completely slipped our minds the other night." Richard said.

"So we'll have to cancel our usual Friday night dinner." Emily said.

"Oh. That's ok." Charlotte said.

"However, we were wondering if maybe you'd like to come." Emily suggested.

"Me?" Charlotte asked.

"The alumni always like to meet the next generation of Elis, and plus, we'd love to be able to show you off to all of our friends, wouldn't we, Emily?" Richard said.

"Yes, we would!" Emily said.

"You might even make a few connections that could come in handy somewhere down the road." Richard said.

"Please come! We'd hate to miss our weekly Charlotte fix. And I promise you, there won't be any chicken." She joked.

"Or steak on a stick." Richard said causing them both to laugh.

Charlotte laughed nervously. This sounded awfully rehearsed. "Well, sure. I'd love to come." She said. "What about Rory?" She asked as she saw Rory walk into their dorm at that time.

"Oh...well...I'm sure Rory would like to spend some time with Logan so just tell her, we'll look forward to seeing her next week." Emily said.

"Oh..uh..ok..." Charlotte said.

"Wonderful. Your grandmother and I are thrilled." Richard said.

"Is it fancy? What should I wear?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, just pick out a pretty little dress." Emily said.

"And bring that face." Richard said.

"Well, the face comes with the package." Charlotte said.

"Oh, and I know you usually come at seven, but could you make it at six instead?" Emily asked.

"Six is fine." Charlotte said.

"We'll see you Friday." Richard said.

"See you Friday." Charlotte said, hanging up. "Well that was weird..."

"Why? What's going on?" Rory asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa are having a party." Charlotte told her.

"Cool!"

"On Friday." Charlotte said.

"Oh! So we get a week off?" Rory asked.

"You and mom do. I apparently am wanted there." Charlotte said. "It's a Yale alumni party."

"I go to Yale too or have they forgotten that?" Rory laughed.

"No. They said they were sure you'd want to spend time with Logan." Charlotte shrugged. "It was really weird."

"Do you think they're planning something?" Rory asked.

"I don't know." Charlotte sighed. "But I might get Jess to pick me up early just in case."

"Good plan." Rory said. She then smirked. "Mom will be ecstatic."

Charlotte laughed. "Oh yeah!"

* * *

Friday evening soon came and Charlotte found herself in her Grandpa's study after an hour of having to endure her Grandma parading her round to all their friends and their friends' sons. She should have known that they had an ulterior motive. She should have known from when her Grandma was asking about Jess. She had thought she had got past the disapproval but obviously she hadn't. She sighed and picked up the phone and rang a familiar number.

"I told you." Lorelai answered.

"You told me what?" Charlotte asked.

"Whatever has happened at that party you got rooked into tonight. I told you." Lorelai said.

"Do you want to hear or do you just want to gloat?" Charlotte said.

"Well, I'm a multi-tasker." She said.

"So I get here and Grandma immediately whisks me upstairs where her hairdresser and makeup artist are waiting to make a new me."

"Because the old you was so last season." Lorelai rolled her eyes and shrugged at Luke who she was having food with in the apartment.

"Then I come downstairs to find that the guests are all Yale friends of Grandma and Grandpa's and their sons." Charlotte said.

"What?"

"No girls! All boys and me!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"You're kidding." Lorelai said shocked.

"Nope. I feel like I'm being auctioned off." Charlotte said.

"They suck, my parents suck!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"This is a very silly picture."

"They know you're back with Jess because by the way you told them." Lorelai said.

"It's ok, I just thought you'd like to know." She sighed.

"Do you have a pencil?" Lorelai asked.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"Because there are twelve ways out of that house that they don't know about. Write this down. First, the basement. It's a little dusty but almost foolproof. If you can't get there, grab a screwdriver and jimmy the back of my mother's closet. There's a false back." Lorelai said.

"Mom..." Charlotte said.

"And if they haven't trimmed the trees yet, the second guest bathroom window opens out onto the massive elm and you can shimmy right down." She said.

"I am not going to shimmy. I don't need to sneak out, it's fine. Jess is picking me up at eight thirty, I can manage until then." Charlotte said.

"They played you, kid." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah, I know." Charlotte sighed.

"I hate that they did that." She said.

"Well, it's done. Ok, I should go. In this crowd they will definitely notice me missing. I'll see you later." Charlotte said.

"Bye, hon." Lorelai said, sighing as she hung up.

"What's the matter?" Luke asked.

"Nothing a little patricide won't solve." She said dialling another number.

* * *

"Charlotte?" A voice said as she stood outside on the patio.

"Yeah?" She said turning round to see a dark haired guy.

"I'm Jordan. Your grandmother sent me over here. Apparently we're made for each other." He said.

"Oh, gee. Well, how convenient." Charlotte said, grateful that he seemed different to the others.

"There's nothing like having your family play matchmaker." He said. "How old are you?" He asked.

"Me? I'm..uh..almost twenty." She said.

"Alright, good. Just making sure everything's legal. You need a drink?" He asked.

"No, not a drink." Charlotte sighed, realising he was no different to the others.

"Why? Get a little crazy when you drink?" He tried to joke.

"Yes. That's it." She said uncomfortably.

"I'd like to see that." He said.

"Charlotte! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." Tristan suddenly appeared, putting his arm around her. "I'm late, I'm sorry, don't be mad. Tristan DuGrey." He nodded at Jordan.

"Uh, Jordan Chase." He said annoyed by the interruption.

"Good to meet you, thanks for keeping my girl busy. If you hadn't, she would've noticed exactly how late I am and then she might have left and that would have been very, very bad." Tristan said.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry, you're with her?" Jordan asked surprised.

"Going on a year and a half." Tristan smiled, squeezing Charlotte's shoulder and in return to keep the play up, she smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"Great. What the hell am I doing here then?" He said walking away.

"Thank you." Charlotte said as Tristan took his arm away.

"You looked cornered." He smirked.

"I was." She nodded.

"Well, glad to be of service. Man, I hate these parties." He said looking around.

"Not really my bag either." She said.

"But at least the bar is stocked and I must say your grandmother has excellent food." Tristan smirked.

Just then Richard came up behind them. "Tristan? How are you?" He asked.

"I'm very well, sir, and yourself?" Tristan asked politely.

"Oh, I'm fit as a fiddle! It's good to see you. Are your parents here?" He asked.

"Wandering around here somewhere." He nodded.

"Ah, good. Alright, Charlotte, since I see that you are in capable hands I will make another round and end up at the bar." Richard smiled.

"It's been good to see you, Richard." Tristan said.

"Good to see you, Tristan." He said before walking off.

"Ok, I thought this was bad but trying to set me up with my sister's ex is just so wrong!" Charlotte groaned.

Tristan smirked. "It is at that."

"This is so humiliating! I have a boyfriend. Someone who I'm crazy about!" She groaned.

"You're still with Jess?" He asked.

"Yeah." She sighed. "But obviously they don't approve! At least he's coming to pick me up soon."

"Well until then, I think it's time for a change of venue." He said grabbing hold of her hand. "Come on!" He smirked leading her to the poolhouse.

* * *

"So quite a night huh?" Jess said as he and Charlotte walked down the street back in Stars Hollow after the party.

"You could say that again." Charlotte sighed.

"So Tristan kept you company?" He asked.

"Yeah, he really saved me. We just sat in the pool house and caught up. I haven't seen him in ages so it was actually quite nice." Charlotte said. She glanced at him. "Wait, you're not jealous?" She asked worried.

"What? No." Jess shook his head. "He's Rory's ex. He's your friend. I'm not jealous." He smiled at her. "I'm glad he made the party a bit more manageable for you. It sounded awful."

"It was." Charlotte sighed, linking arms with him and leaning her head on his shoulders. "Thanks for coming earlier than we arranged."

"No problem." He said.

"I want you to know...I don't care what my grandparents think ok? I love you and I want to be with you. Nothing they say or do will change that." She said.

"I know. I love you too." He smiled putting his arm round her. "Coffee?" He offered as they walked towards the diner.

"Do you have to ask?" She grinned.

"My mistake." He smirked. "One coffee coming up!" He said as they disappeared into the diner.

 **So I hope you liked it! A bit of a longer chapter for you! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks so much for all your support, I really do appreciate it! :)**


	49. Chapter 49

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! I've been really busy as I've had two job interviews recently so I've preparing for them and haven't had time to write, sorry! I hope you're all still with me! :)**

Chapter 48

Richard, Charlotte and Rory took their trays of food in the canteen at Yale and sat down at a nearby table.

"So Dickie high tails it to his office and e-mails me within seconds." Richard was telling them.

"Dickie's the other you at your office, right?" Rory asked.

"Well, there's no other me." Richard said.

"You know what I meant, Grandpa." Rory said.

"Dickie and I share some duties. We lunch occasionally, socialise a bit. But he would cut my throat in a heartbeat, as I would his." Richard said.

"It's like Rikers Island, except everyone drives a Jag." Charlotte smirked.

"Well, Dickie made a mistake." Richard chuckled. "He e-mailed me, thinking that I wouldn't read it for days, but I read it the minute he sent it. He figured my weekend starts at lunch on Fridays, as so many others do. Error followed by error."

"That man needs to reread his Sun Tzu." Rory smirked.

"Anyway, that's why I am missing Friday Night dinner. Dickie and I are going to be in the Chicago office." Richard told them.

"Well send us a postcard." Charlotte said.

"I'm travelling much less but I don't miss it. Thirty years ago, any chance I had to travel, I jumped at, but now..." He said but suddenly stopped. "I'm talking a lot, aren't I?" He said.

"No. I mean, yes. But it's good." Rory smiled.

"I don't want to be tiresome." Richard said.

"Grandpa, you could never tire us. This is fun." Charlotte smiled.

"Good." Richard smiled. "My valet isn't much of a conversationalist. He's the master of the monosyllable, although he can shine a shoe with the best of them. So, been reading anything good lately?" He asked.

"I'm very into P.G. Wodehouse right now." Rory said.

"Oh, that's great."

"You?"

"Actually, I've had a personal triumph of late." He said.

"Oh yeah? What?" Rory asked.

"I've just finished the sixth and final volume of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.'" He said proudly.

"Wow that is a triumph." Rory said exchanging a glance at Charlotte.

"I started it in 1968. So it took only, what? 36 years to finish it. But by god, I finished it." Richard smiled proudly.

"Wow. That's quite a commitment." Charlotte said.

"Well, I've had a little more time on my hands lately. Not as many evenings out as there once were." He said.

"Right." Rory said quietly glancing at Charlotte. "Not as many."

"You're still getting together with your grandmother tonight, aren't you?" He asked.

"Of course." Charlotte smiled.

"Has she mentioned her car lately?"

"Her car?" Rory frowned confused.

"It's due for its six-month service. I hope she isn't skipping those."

"I don't know. I'm happy to ask." Rory said.

"Oh no. That's too much trouble. I'll have Robert check with her maid."

"Oh. Ok." Rory said.

"He may have to use upwards of six syllables for this one. I wish him luck." Richard joked.

"Couldn't you just ask her yourself, Grandpa? I mean, you're right there." Rory said.

"No, I don't want to be an annoyance."

"Ok. But Grandpa..." She tried.

"Chicken's getting cold." He changed the subject.

"Right. Yeah..." Rory said as the three of them started eating.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Luke was wiping down a clear table at the diner when Lorelai came in.

"Hey, what brings you here?" Luke smiled giving her a quick kiss.

"Caffeine withdrawal. And I like looking at you." Lorelai grinned.

Luke smirked and went behind the counter to get her coffee. "To go?" He asked.

"Yes please." She smiled pulling out her purse.

"Don't worry about it." Luke said seeing her take some money out.

"Luke, this is your business. I've always paid and I always should pay." Lorelai said.

"Fine, but don't tip me. Tipping now is weird." Luke said.

"Ok." She said. "Besides, I can tip you later." She smirked giving him a wink.

"That was weird too." Luke said.

"Yeah I'm a very awkward winker." She sighed.

"You're never supposed to tip me, anyway." He told her.

"What?"

"I'm the proprietor. You're not supposed to tip the proprietor even when they serve you." Luke said handing her a 'to go' cup with coffee in.

"You mean all those years that extra 20% was unnecessary?" Lorelai exclaimed in mock outrage.

"You never tipped me 20%." Luke scoffed.

"Ooh, now it's getting ugly." She joked.

"You were a solid 15 percenter, sometimes less if the bill got higher. Way less if you were mad at me about something." Luke told her.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I wasn't supposed to be tipping you, anyway." She grinned.

"True." Luke smirked.

"In fact, I want a rebate." Lorelai said.

"What?"

"You've been ripping me off for ten years."

"Have your lawyer call my lawyer."

"Thank you." She grinned picking up her coffee.

"We still on for tomorrow night?" Luke asked.

"Absolutely." She smiled.

"Talk to you later."

"Bye!" Lorelai grinned and left.

* * *

After an eventful Friday Night Dinner with Emily insisting on snooping around the pool house while Richard wasn't there, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory found themselves at the diner.

"I have never seen Grandma so singularly obsessed about a piece of clothing." Charlotte said.

"It was insane! Why don't they just talk to each other?" Rory said.

"I don't know." Lorelai sighed.

"Here we go." Luke said coming over with some food. "Boysenberry pie with ice cream. Two hot fudge sundaes. And a grapefruit for you two to share." he said putting it in front of Rory and Charlotte.

"We don't want a grapefruit." Charlotte frowned.

"It's good for you." He said.

"Kind of our point." Charlotte grinned up at him.

"It's too late for her, but not for you two." He said gesturing to Lorelai. "Eat it." He ordered.

"This service is very rude. No tip for you." Lorelai grinned. "In fact, he actually owes us a lot of money because we weren't supposed to be tipping him all these years." She told her daughters.

"I know." Charlotte nodded.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"Customarily, you do not have to tip the proprietor of an establishment." Rory nodded.

"Then why have we been tipping him all these years?" Lorelai said.

"We like him." Charlotte said.

"Oh, that." Lorelai said. "Hey, bring us some coffee and I promise this grapefruit will be eaten." She grinned up at Luke.

"Ok." He said giving her a sceptical look, walking back to the counter.

"How long is my nose?" Lorelai grinned.

"Very." Rory said tucking into her sundae.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow night?" Charlotte asked knowing their mom had planned something with Luke.

"Well I was sort of thinking maybe we could all do something together." Lorelai said. "It's been a while since we've all hung out." She said.

"True." Charlotte nodded. "That would be fun. Although I was planning on doing something with Jess."

"Well tell him to come along then. We could have a movie night or something." Lorelai smiled.

"Cool!" Charlotte smiled.

"Rory?" Lorelai checked.

"Well..uh..I was sort of planning on hanging out with Logan. He's free this weekend." Rory said.

"Oh..well...invite him along too." Lorelai said hesitantly.

"Really?" Rory asked doubtfully. Sure, Logan had come to Stars Hollow during the summer but her mum had been busy with the inn so hadn't really gotten to know him and she knew Luke hadn't spoken to him at all really.

"Sure, it will be fun! It will be like a three way date." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah come on, Ror. It'll be fun." Charlotte smiled. "It's been ages since we've all hung out."

"Well ok. I can ask him." Rory smiled.

"Great!" Lorelai smiled. "How does that sound?" She asked Luke as he came back with her coffee.

"How does what sound?" He asked.

"Doing something with Rory and Charlotte tomorrow night."

"You don't have to." Rory said quickly.

"No, that sounds great. We can all do something together." He smiled at them.

"Yeah. It's a great idea. There's a ground swell of support. Let's do it!" She grinned.

"Cool! I'm going to go see Jess." Charlotte smiled getting up.

"Ok. And you go call Logan and run it by him." Lorelai smiled at Rory.

"Logan?" Luke said, his smile disappearing.

"I'm sure I can persuade him." Rory smiled.

"Good." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, good. I'll see you tomorrow night." She said giving Lorelai a hug.

"Ok. See you tomorrow night." Lorelai said.

"Bye Luke." Rory smiled before she left.

Luke slipped into Rory's vacated chair. "Logan?" He said.

"What about Logan?" Lorelai asked.

"You invited him. I thought you didn't like him." Luke said.

"I don't really know him that well." Lorelai shrugged. "Plus we can't really invite Jess and not Logan. It wouldn't be fair." She pointed out.

Luke sighed. "Yeah I guess..." He said.

Lorelai sighed. "You can back out if you want. I kind of shanghaied you there." She said.

"No we can do it." Luke said. "It's about time I got to know this punk anyway."

Lorelai gave him a look. "You need to be on best behaviour. Promise me!" She warned.

"Of course." He said.

"Luke..." Lorelai said.

Luke sighed. "Ok I promise." He said sincerely.

"Thank you. Because we haven't all hung out in ages and I've been looking forward to it." She said.

"I'll be good, I promise." He said.

"Thank you." She smiled softly at him.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Rory was sat in her car on the phone. "So, tomorrow night..." She said.

"Yeah. What's the plan?" Logan said.

"Well I sort of wanted to run something by you..." Rory said nervously.

"Shoot." He said.

"How about we go on a three way date with my mom and Luke and Charlotte and Jess?" Rory said.

"A three way date?" Logan said hesitantly.

"Yeah. Mom thought it'd be nice for us all to hang out together and you can get to know everyone better." Rory said.

"I don't know, Ace..." He said.

"Please? It'll be fun, I promise! We'll have lots of junk food and watch a few movies." Rory said.

Logan sighed. "You really want to do this?"

"I'd like you to get to know them better, yeah." Rory said.

"Fine." Logan said.

"Really? Thanks!" Rory grinned. "And I promise tonight we can do anything you want!"

"That's what I like to hear." Logan smirked.

Rory laughed. "Anyway, I'm just leaving now so I'll be there soon."

"Ok see you soon." He said.

"Bye." Rory smiled hanging up.

* * *

At the same time, Charlotte was upstairs in the apartment with Jess. "Please!" She was begging.

"Seriously? You really want to spend an evening we could be doing so many other things with my uncle and your mom?" Jess said.

"It'll be fun!" Charlotte grinned.

"Define fun." Jess said dryly.

"Come on, Rory and Logan will be there too." Charlotte said.

"Is that wise?" Jess raising his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Making Logan spend an evening with my uncle and your mom." He smirked.

"They're not that bad!" Charlotte laughed.

"I wasn't talking about them." Jess smirked.

"Hey, behave!" She said. "Look, I know I had my doubts about Logan but we're ok now. He's alright and Rory really likes him so please be nice."

Jess sighed. "Sure." He said. "Even if I say no to these plans, you're not going to take any notice of me anyway."

Charlotte grinned. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said giving him a hug and pulling him in for a kiss.

"It's a good thing I love you." Jess smirked.

* * *

The following evening, Rory and Logan arrived at the Crap Shack at about 6pm. "Hello?" Rory called.

"In the kitchen!" Lorelai called.

Rory led Logan through to the kitchen where Luke was cooking something on the cooker while Lorelai was sat at the table. Lorelai stood up when they came in. "Hi!" She grinned giving Rory a hug. "Logan." She smiled at him politely.

"It's good to see you again. Thanks for the invite." Logan smiled politely.

"And this is Luke, my soon to be stepfather." Rory smiled gesturing to Luke.

"Nice to meet you sir." Logan said holding out his hand.

"Likewise." Luke said gruffly, shaking his hand.

"Too bad you weren't holding a trophy. That would have made a great picture!" Lorelai said.

"Where's Charlotte?" Rory asked trying to ease the awkwardness.

"In your bedroom with Jess. They've been in there a while. I'd hate to think what they were doing..." Lorelai grinned her eyes twinkling.

"Ew mom!" Rory exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai grinned.

Rory just shook his head. "What are you making, Luke?" She said changing the subject.

"Burgers." Luke said.

"I thought this was movie night. We need to junk food!" Rory said.

"Don't hon, I've already tried." Lorelai said. "He insisted that we should at least eat something before stuffing our faces with junk food."

"He said that exactly?" Rory smirked.

"Well not exactly. I may have exaggerated it a bit." Lorelai grinned.

"I would have thought you would try and make some of your healthy food for us." Rory smirked, enjoying teasing Luke along with her mom.

"Yeah like you would eat that." Luke said dryly. "You would hold it over my head for weeks."

"Would we ever?" Lorelai said in mock surprise.

"You have done before, mom." Charlotte smirked appearing from her room with Jess.

"Traitor!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You have though, mom! Remember the skating and then making him sit through the most girly movies ever?" Rory smirked.

"Luke enjoyed that!" Lorelai defended.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he enjoyed spending an hour at an ice skating rink with you and then having to endure the worst movies ever." Charlotte teased.

"And forcing him to eat chili fries." Jess smirked.

"What happened?" Logan asked feeling out of the loop.

"Oh it's a long story. I'll tell you later." Rory grinned.

"Oh. Ok." Logan said.

An hour later, they were sat in the living room already tucking into their junk food. Luke and Lorelai were sat on the couch, while Charlotte and Jess were cuddled up on the armchair and Rory and Logan were sat on the floor on cushions.

"You're seriously going to eat all of this?" Logan asked surprised.

"You're going out with Rory and you seriously don't know about her obsession with junk food?" Luke said with a slight smirk.

"Hey, I'm not obsessed!" Rory defended.

"You all are." Luke smirked.

"Seriously, you haven't noticed the amount of food they eat at Yale? I thought you've been going out with Rory for a while now." Jess smirked.

"Oh..well...I..." Logan said at a loss.

Charlotte nudged Jess and gave him a look.

"It's fine. I'm glad it's not the first thing you've noticed about me." Rory smiled, sweetly giving him a kiss.

"Yeah and anyway, you love our quirks!" Lorelai grinned at Luke.

"So long as it doesn't end in a food fight again." He warned.

"Aw did you not enjoy getting a cupcake thrown in your face?" Lorelai smirked.

"Sorry Uncle Luke, I was aiming for Kirk." Jess smirked.

"To be fair, it's an annual birthday tradition." Charlotte grinned. She suddenly saw Logan sigh and focus back on the movie and realised that he must feel out of the loop again. "Hey, remember the food fight that happened at that party at Yale?" She said looking over at Rory, who smiled gratefully at her.

"Yeah, Finn and Colin were at their best at that party, remember?" Rory smiled at Logan.

"Yeah." Logan smirked. "Although it doesn't take much for them to let loose."

"True." Rory laughed.

* * *

After they had finished their second movie and they had made some more popcorn, they started 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', their final movie for the night. "Oh god, do you remember the first time we showed Luke and Jess this movie?" Lorelai grinned at Rory and Charlotte.

"I'm just going to go to the toilet." Logan said, getting up and walking out of the room.

"Mom..." Rory said.

"What?" She said confused.

"I think..uh..I think Logan and I might leave in a minute." Rory said awkwardly.

"What, why?" Lorelai asked.

"You really need to ask?" Rory said.

"I don't understand." She said confused.

Logan appeared after a few minutes so Rory stood up. "Hey, I was thinking we could go grab a coffee before we head back to Yale?" She said.

"We're leaving now?" He asked surprised.

"We'll still have time back at Yale if we leave now." She said.

"Ok. Sure." He said. "Uh, it was nice to meet you all." He smiled politely at everyone before he left with Rory.

"What was all that about?" Lorelai said confused.

"You really have to ask?" Charlotte sighed.

"What?"

"He felt left out, it was obvious." She said.

"Why would he feel left out?" Lorelai frowned.

"Constantly talking about things that happened before between the five of us. Logan had no idea what we were talking about." Charlotte said. "He was out of the loop. It was a bit unfair."

"We didn't talk about that many things..." Lorelai frowned.

"You did. The first couple were fine but I could tell it affected him as it became more and more. He was trying to join in at the beginning but he just gave up near the end. I don't really blame him...or Rory for wanting to leave." Charlotte shrugged.

Lorelai started to feel guilty. "It wasn't deliberate..." She said.

"I know. And Rory knows that. I just thought I'd mention it. Maybe next time we can talk about other things that Logan can join in with?" She suggested.

"Of course. I'll ring Rory and we'll reschedule. We'll have a meal here or something." Lorelai said, getting up.

"I think she'd like that." Charlotte smiled as she watched her mom leave the room. "And you didn't exactly help." She said nudging Jess.

"What did I do?" Jess said.

"Being all like "You've been going out with Rory for ages, how do you not know this about her?" Like that wouldn't make him awkward." Charlotte said.

"What? It's true! I was just surprised." Jess defended himself. "Luke said it too!"

Charlotte glanced over at Luke who was focusing on the paused image on the tv. "Yeah but I have a feeling Luke's feeling bad about it." She said, smirking slightly.

Luke glanced up at her and sighed. "I'll apologise to Rory." He said.

Charlotte smirked. "She'll be fine, don't worry. I just think we should all be a bit more inclusive. We all know each other. Logan's the outsider but he shouldn't have to feel like that." She said.

"Ok fine, I'm sorry." Jess said.

"Thank you." Charlotte smiled. "I'm going to get some more food." She said getting up and disappearing into the kitchen.

Jess glanced over at Luke and smirked. "So what's your judgement on Richie boy?"

Luke sighed. "He's alright." He said.

"Seriously?" Jess raised his eyebrows.

"Well...I guess I'm surprised Rory would go for someone like that." He admitted. "But it's not my place to say."

Jess shrugged. "I don't think it will last." He said.

"You don't?" Luke asked surprised. "I thought you got on with him?"

"He's nice enough to me but I just don't think it will last with Rory." Jess shrugged. "From what Charlotte told me about him when they started going out, I just feel there might be trouble."

Luke sighed. "Well it's not our place to interfere so we better be good when he next comes." He said.

"Why? You scared of Charlotte?" Jess smirked.

"Kind of." Luke smirked.

Jess chuckled. "Yeah, she can get scary." He smirked.

"Right we're having lunch next weekend with them!" Lorelai announced coming back into the room with Charlotte following with another tub of popcorn. "Still fancy watching the movie?" She asked.

"Sure." Luke said.

"Like we have a choice." Jess smirked.

"Hush you." Charlotte grinned sitting back down with him. "Right, hit play mom!" She said.

 **So I hope you liked it! Sorry again for the delay! I hope you're all still there and will still review and let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	50. Chapter 50

**I thought since I've been so rubbish later, I'll treat you to another chapter! ;) Thank you for your support so far! :)**

Chapter 49

Several weeks had passed in Stars Hollow. The second lunch with Logan went slightly better and everyone made an effort to make him feel included, Logan took Rory to a Life and Death Brigade gathering which ended, Sookie found out she was pregnant and Charlotte and Rory ended their feud with their dad when they found out his father had died and they went round to see him and comfort him along with Lorelai afterwards with a bottle of tequila. Richard and Emily had reconciled and were organising their vow renewal ceremony.

Lorelai walked into the diner and smiled and waved at Luke who was on the phone behind the counter, who in return just grunted at her.

"Huh? Apparently now we've been married for forty years?" Lorelai joked.

"Sorry. This stupid boat supply place does everything but actually supply anything." Luke said.

"Oh, catalogues! I love catalogues!" Lorelai grinned flicking through them.

"It's boating parts. Yes, yes, I'm here!" He said down the phone. "None of them? Man, you must have a lot of room in that place of yours! Yeah, sure. Back order it. What the hell." He grumbled.

"Ooh! Look at these boots!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Let's try twenty C-clamps, five inches or larger. A box of quarter inch teak buns, marine caulk." He said.

"And the boots! Get the boots!" Lorelai said.

"Yeah, go check. I'll hold." Luke said. He turned to Lorelai. "What are you babbling about?" He said.

"I want these boots." She grinned.

"Those are work boots." He told her.

"They're yellow and cute. I'll look like the Morton's Salt girl!" She grinned.

"How the hell did you find something to buy in my boat supply catalogue?" He said shaking his head.

"Size nine please?" She grinned.

"Yes, I'm here." Luke said back on the phone. "None of them? Well, at least you're consistent. Ok, back order all of them. Yes, the C-clamps, the teak buns, the marine caulk..." He rolled his eyes at Lorelai who was currently kissing the boots in the catalogue. "...and one pair of fisherman's boots, size nine." He relented, causing Lorelai to raise a fist in victory. "Of course, those you have! Ok. Yeah send them right along. Thanks." He said finally hanging up. "They'll be here Tuesday." He told Lorelai with a smirk.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that." Lorelai grinned.

"Hey, is it ok if I come over tonight and work on the boat a little?" He asked.

"With what? Sheer masculinity and some imaginary sandpaper?" She joked.

"I have plenty to do until the back order stuff gets here." He said.

"Alright. I thought you were going to spend the evening trying to figure out how to fling yourself down the stairs just hard enough that you won't have to go to my parents' thing tomorrow, but not so hard that you actually die." She teased.

"No, I thought instead that I'd try to find a wild boar to maul me just enough that I'll need medical attention so I won't be able to go to your parents' thing tomorrow, but after some stitches and a transfusion, I'll still be able to make you coffee." He joked. "But no, after the fuss you put up to get me invited, I think your mother would actually kill us if I ended up not turning up." He smirked.

"True." Lorelai grinned.

"Anyway, I've started to run the rigging on the boat. I just wanted to get a little further on it." He told her.

"Yeah, that's fine. Rory and Charlotte are spending the night. We're having a Cop Rock marathon." She smiled.

"Ok. Here's your donuts." He said handing over a bag.

"Thank you." Lorelai smiled.

"And your coffee." He said handing over a to go cup.

"Thank you."

"And my final plea to not make me go to this thing tomorrow." He said.

"You do not have to go." She said.

"Fine. I'll go." He said.

"I love it when I break you with just the sheer anticipation of a wear-down!" She grinned.

"Hold on, did you say Cop Rock marathon?" Luke suddenly said.

"Yeah, I got them all on tape." She nodded. She grinned at him. "Trying to figure out what you see in me?"

"Yep."

"Wait'll you see me in the boots." She joked, giving him a kiss before leaving.

* * *

That evening, Lorelai, Rory and Charlotte were preparing a feast of frozen waffles, pop tarts and similar food in their kitchen at home. Rory had her laptop set up at the table and she was burning CDs as they prepared their feast.

"Ok, I know I was the one that said I was craving mashed potatoes but, oh my god, they're a lot of work." Lorelai said.

"It's instant mashed potatoes. Key word, instant." Charlotte smirked.

"Oh no, not instant. I have to mix water and butter into it, not to mention the adding of salt and pepper." Lorelai said.

"Ok, 'The Best of Super Furry Animals' complete." Rory said.

"Oh! Plus I have to rip the package open, dump it into a bowl and, oh my god, are they serious? I have to stir the mixture to combine? What is this, the Gulag?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Hey, do you want the Arcade Fire?" Rory asked.

"I don't know, do I?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes." Charlotte and Rory said in unison.

"Then yes. So basically once I'm finished with all this manual labour, I still have to clean the bowl." Lorelai said.

"And the spoon." Rory said.

"What do I use the spoon for?" Lorelai asked.

"Stir to combine." Rory said.

"Pfft. Right. What do I use the spoon for?" She repeated waving her hand around in the bowl.

"My mistake. Carry on." Rory smirked.

"So let's cut to the chase. How badly do you want these mashed potatoes?" She asked.

"You wanted the mashed potatoes." Charlotte said.

"Because with tater tots I can just rip and dump." Lorelai said.

"Then stick with your strengths. Brain Master Eno coming up next." Rory said just as there was a knock on the back door.

"Who is it?" Lorelai called.

"It's me." Luke's voice came through the door.

"Me who?" Lorelai teased.

"Rory, Charlotte, can you just open the door?" Luke said.

Charlote grinned and went to open the door. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey, do you have an extension cord I can use?" He asked.

"I'll go look." Charlotte said leaving the room.

"Hi! Come on in." Lorelai smiled at him.

"No, that's alright. I don't want to disturb you guys." Luke said.

"Oh, you're not disturbing us. Right Rory?" She said.

"Nope!" Rory said turning round to give him a smile.

"Well, I'm dirty." Luke said.

"Well, so's the house." Lorelai said.

"And if I come in there I'll see what you guys are planning on eating and I'll want to kill myself." He smirked.

"It just so happens I am making a garden spring salad with three bitter lettuces and a breaded French country chicken." She grinned.

"Really, you are?" He said sarcastically.

"No. So how's the boat coming?" Lorelai asked.

"Slow." He said.

"Oh, well, you should've built a motorboat." She grinned.

"Extension cord!" Charlotte smiled coming back in and handing it to Luke.

"Thank you. I'll let you get back to taking five years off your life." He said.

"Meh. They were the five where I would've been wearing fuschia lipstick way beyond my lip line so I wouldn't want them anyhow." Lorelai joked, leaning him to give him a kiss.

"See you tomorrow." He smiled.

"Ten thirty sharp." She said.

"Got it." Luke said before leaving.

Lorelai put the tater tots in the oven. "Ok. First course ready?" She asked.

"Ready!" Charlotte grinned picking up the bowl she was working on.

"Let's Cop Rock!" Lorelai grinned as they went through to the living room just as the phone rang. Lorelai went to answer it, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"So Jess really wasn't invited?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"Nope. Apparently there wasn't enough space and they only catered for a certain number of people." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?" Rory asked.

"Yep."

"Well at least Jess won't have to put on a suit." Rory said trying to find the positive out of it. "I bet he was happy about that."

Charlotte shrugged. "It's just annoying because I'm going to be the odd one out. Mom managed to get Luke invited and you've got Logan because Grandma thinks they're the most amazing people, the Huntzbergers, and then I'll just be sat by myself." She sighed. "It's fine. Jess is hanging with the band tonight anyway." She said.

"Nah you won't. I'll stick with you. Logan probably won't want to dance with me anything." Rory shrugged.

Charlotte glanced at her. She'd noticed they hadn't seen each other as much recently. "Is everything ok between the two of you?" She asked cautiously.

Rory sighed. "It's alright. It's just, you remember that skit he played in my lesson?" She said. Charlotte nodded, remembering Rory venting to her about that. "Well we sort of got into a fight after that and ever since, he's just been quite distant."

"Well I'm sure you'll work it out." Charlotte smiled supportively.

"I hope so." Rory sighed. "I know I probably overreacted but..."

"No I get it. He should have known that you wouldn't like your studying interrupted." Charlotte said.

Rory just shrugged just as Lorelai reappeared. "Urghh, your Grandma's coming over!" She groaned.

"What, why?" Rory asked.

"Because she won't buy her seamstress a puppy." Lorelai said.

"Oh, well sure." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "Something about her dress. Crap, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know!"

"We can't eat all of this before she gets here!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Most of it." Charlotte said.

"Well sure, most of it." Lorelai said.

"But not the tater tots or the pizza tower." Rory pointed out.

"Ok, we'll have to do the evening in two parts. We'll watch one Cop Rock, eat this stuff here, she'll come over, I'll get her dress done as fast as I can, then we'll continue with our evening." Lorelai said.

"Maybe we should put it off." Rory said.

"She comes, I fix, she goes, we Rock. Now eat." Lorelai said determinedly.

"Eating!" Charlotte said reaching for a pop tart.

* * *

After having to hold an impromptu bachelorette party for Emily, Rory and Charlotte were cleaning up dishes in the living room while Babette was passed out on the chair. Lorelai tiptoed down the stairs. "So your Grandma is fast asleep in my bed, clutching my Hello Kitty pillow, and yes, I have pictures!" She grinned.

"I cannot believe how much rum Grandma drank tonight." Rory said.

"I can!" Lorelai said opening a bag.

"Hey, that's Grandma's bag. What are you doing?" Rory asked sceptically.

"I have no idea, I'm drunk." She grinned before skipping through to the kitchen.

"Uh oh." Charlotte smirked.

"Hey! Come back here with that!" Rory said as she and Charlotte followed her.

"There is no way I'm sitting next to Missy Hollargan." Lorelai said.

"Stop that, that's Grandma's seating chart!" Rory exclaimed getting her some water.

"I know, I'm just fine tuning it. Oh, the Ramsey's divorce must be legal by now. Time for a little reunion." She grinned moving names around.

"You're evil and I'm going to tell." Rory smirked.

"Well if you tell, then I'm going to tell cousin Drew, aka the Power Spitter, that you like him." Lorelai said.

"You're mean." Rory said.

"Hmm. Man, I'll say one thing for my parents, they certainly command a good turnout." Lorelai said looking at all the names. "Hey, look she's put Logan on a different table. Want me to move him?" She asked Rory.

Rory glanced at the seating plan and saw Logan's name next to a girl's name. "Oh, no, it's ok." She said.

"Really?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"There must be a reason Grandma's set it out like that. I don't want her thinking I had anything to do with the changes." Rory said.

"Ok fine." Lorelai said.

"Hey, do you think the Sheldrakes will be unhappy at the Bluestone Club?" Charlotte asked changing the subject.

"Oh, I have no idea. However, I do know that Dinky Shaw is going to be sitting next to her ex-husband's daughter from his second marriage. This is the daughter whose conception caused the second marriage. And everybody should bring an extra roll of film." Lorelai grinned.

"Seems mean. Getting them kicked out like that. Seems mean." Rory said.

"Seems Gilmore." Lorelai grinned.

"Mom..." Rory sighed.

"Rory, this is how it works in my parents' world. Trust me, the Sheldrakes are busy screwing someone at the Bluestone out of something as we speak." She said.

"If you say so." Rory said.

"These people live in a universe where they feel entitled to get what they want, when they want it and they don't care who's in their way. I hate that world. Vapid. Selfish. It's like that Life and Death Brigade you wrote about."

"What do you mean?" Rory frowned.

"You know, like a bunch of selfish rich kids, the children of entitlement, blowing off school. Drinking for days. Spending thousands on a stupid and potentially dangerous stunt, knowing full well that they're not going to get in trouble, because Daddy is important. They're all the same." Lorelai said.

"They're not all the same. You don't even know them. And that's not what I wrote. I didn't say all those things about them. You're just reading whatever you want to into it." Rory said defensively.

"What?" Lorelai said confused.

"Uh mom, Logan's part of the Life and Death Brigade." Charlotte said.

"Oh god, Rory I'm sorry. I didn't know." Lorelai said feeling awful.

"Just because you have money, that doesn't automatically make you a jerk." Rory said.

"I know. I didn't mean it like that. I didn't Logan is like that. I just meant..." She sighed. "New subject?" She suggested.

"Yeah, new subject." Rory said.

"Hey, I wonder if my mother would notice if she and Dad were suddenly at different tables!" Lorelai exclaimed but saw Rory giving her a look. "Ok fine..." She sighed shutting the seating plan and putting it away.

* * *

"Hey, have you seen my Sparkly Venom lip gloss?" Lorelai called down the stairs the following morning.

"Yes I have, it's at school." Rory called up.

"Well, as long as it's safe." Lorelai called back down.

"Hey, what time is it?" Rory called.

"Ten thirty-five." Charlotte called from the living room. "You're both late!" She called as someone knocked on the door. "I guess I'll have to get that!" She called.

"Thanks hon!" Lorelai called downstairs.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and let Luke in. "Hey Luke!" She smiled.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi Luke!" Lorelai called downstairs.

"Hey Luke!" Rory called.

"They're not ready yet if you haven't already got that." Charlotte smirked.

"Yeah I sort of got that." Luke smirked.

"You look nice." Charlotte said.

"You're not dressed." He said.

"Yeah I know. We're getting dressed there." Charlotte said.

"I didn't know you could get dressed there." Luke said.

"Mom!" Charlotte said as Lorelai raced downstairs. "You didn't tell Luke that he could get changed there!"

"I forgot! Hey! You look nice!" Lorelai smiled giving him a kiss. "Rory, let's go!" She called.

"I'm ready. Hey, you look nice!" Rory smiled at Luke following her mom out.

"We're late, let's go!" Lorelai called from outside.

"Wait, aren't you going to lock up?" Luke said, glancing at Charlotte.

"Babette, lock up when you leave?" Charlotte said towards the couch.

"You got it, honey!" Babette said. "Oh, you look nice." She told Luke.

"Ah geez!" Luke grumbled before following Charlotte out.

They arrived at the venue eventually. "Oh, please let them not be here yet!" Lorelai said as they walked down some stairs and along a corridor.

"They'll be here." Rory said.

"Well, you tell them you were running late." Lorelai said.

"You were running late too!" Rory accused.

"I'll just tell them you were both running late." Charlotte smirked.

"Do you see them?" Lorelai asked.

"No." Rory said.

Emily and Richard suddenly appeared. "Well, there they are." Emily said.

"Hello girls." Richard smiled.

"Apparently they're going to change here also." Luke grumbled.

Charlotte smirked at him and patted his arm in sympathy. "I would have told you but I figured mom would."

"Sorry, Rory had a little emergency." Lorelai said.

"So did Mom." Rory retorted.

"I hope everything's alright." Emily said.

"Yes. Just fine. How's everything going?" Lorelai asked.

"Utter disaster. That moronic wedding planner finally fulfilled her potential. I get here and I go through my seating chart and it's a mess. It looked like a drunken psychopath took a stab at it. I had to re-do the entire thing. It took me two hours and years off my life!" Emily exclaimed annoyed.

"Hmm I wonder how that happened." Charlotte said smirking at her mom.

"Maybe she just got confused." Lorelai said.

"She did get confused. Confused about what her profession should be. Anyway, I fired her. That should help clarify things for her." Emily said.

"Third realm of hell, party of one." Rory said.

"Mom, how could you fire her now? Who's going to run the wedding?" Lorelai said.

"Well, luckily Marilyn came into town early for the ceremony and she offered to help out." Emily said.

"You know that Marilyn was a very intimate friend of Cecil Beaton. He named an end table after her." Richard said.

"Hmm." Lorelai said.

"And on top of all that, even though we managed to get the Sheldrakes out of the Rose Room, the women's club that owns this place has their still life painting class at four today in the Salon and they refuse to give it up." Emily said.

"Are you using the Salon?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course we're not using the Salon. What on earth would we use the Salon for?" She said. "Oh, Luke. You're here." Emily said suddenly noticing him.

"Uh, have been, actually." Luke said awkwardly.

"Richard, did you see Luke?" Emily asked.

"No. Why, Luke, there you are." He said.

"Hey, Mr. Gilmore. Nice suit." He said politely.

"Thank you, Luke. I can have my tailor steam out those trousers for you." Richard offered.

"Oh Richard, that's not what he's wearing to the ceremony. I'm sure he's going to change." Emily laughed. "Alright, girls. Let's go get settled." She said.

"Are you ok to hang here for a while?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"I'm sure. I'm fine. You go." Luke nodded.

"Ok, see you in a bit!" Lorelai smiled giving him a kiss.

* * *

Soon the ceremony started and a string quartet played while waiting for Emily and the girls to make their entrance.

"So, tell me, Luke, have you ever considered being a gardener?" Marilyn asked him as they sat on the front row.

"Uh, I'm not much good at growing things." Luke said uncomfortably.

"Oh, Luke. That's the least important part of being a gardener." Marilyn said.

Thankfully for Luke, the judge, Richard, Charlotte and Rory entered from a side door and took their places at the front, Charlotte and Rory in their best men suits. The congregation then turned around to watch for the women to come from the back. Lorelai walked down the stairs and down the aisle first, winking at Luke before she took her place at the front smiling at her daughters as she did. The congregation then rose to welcome Emily, who smiled as she took Richard's hand at the front.

"May you all be seated, please." The judge said and everyone sat down. Rory looked round to find Logan in the crowd and frowned when she spotted him leaning over to say something to the girl sat next to him who laughed in response which caused Logan to smirk. She turned her attention back to the ceremony. "I have known Richard and Emily Gilmore for twenty years now. I know them to be two of the most formidable opponents the world has ever seen. They complement each other. They defend each other. They were made for each other. And today, in front of friends and family, Richard and Emily have chosen once again to say to each other, "I choose you"." The judge continued as Luke and Lorelai caught each other's eyes and smiled knowing that was going to be them soon. "How many of us in a lifetime even get chosen once for something we really want?" The judge went on. Charlotte suddenly spotted their dad sneak in late and sit down, obviously trying not to draw any attention to himself. Charlotte frowned, wondering what he was doing here. "Richard and Emily, will you please face each other. Please repeat after me. I, Richard Gilmore..." The judge said.

"I, Richard Gilmore..." Richard started saying.

* * *

Lorelai and Luke entered the room where the reception was going to take place with Rory and Charlotte where joyous music and laughter could be heard.

"And over here we have the Romanov table." Lorelai said.

"Wow. Look at those flower arrangements. This thing must've cost a fortune! They're real orchids." Luke said.

"A little gayer, please." Lorelai teased.

"I'm just saying." Luke grumbled.

"Oh, wasn't the ceremony perfect? The candles and that judge. I should have married him. I was such a snob, I wouldn't have a civil servant!" Marilyn said coming up to them. She turned to Luke. "You're saving a dance for me." She smiled before leaving.

"Oh my god, there's dancing?" Luke said.

"Yeah. We're doing the one from Pulp Fiction. Do you want to be Uma or should I?" Lorelai grinned.

"I'll meet you guys at our table later." Rory said.

"Table five, hon." Lorelai smiled as Rory went off to see if she could find Logan. "Aw, man. I've already seen ten people I hate, twenty people I know whose names I can't remember and forty people I don't know but who will expect me to know them anyhow." Lorelai groaned.

"A bar. Thank god." Luke said as they go over to the bar.

"Hey, I need you to run major introduction interference for me." Lorelai told him.

"What?"

"Well, you have the advantage. No one knows you here, you can't insult them by forgetting their names." Lorelai said.

"Good luck." Charlotte smirked at Luke before walking off as well.

Meanwhile, Rory was looking round the room for Logan. She suddenly saw him getting two drinks at the bar before heading back to the table and sitting down with the same girl Rory had seen during the ceremony. She watched them for a moment before slowly wandering back to the table she was supposed to be at. She found Charlotte already sitting there. "Hey." Rory said.

"Hey." Charlotte smiled. "Uh oh.." She suddenly said.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Look." Charlotte said gesturing over to where they could see their dad heading over to their mom and Luke.

"Dad's here?" Rory asked surprised.

"Appears so." Charlotte said.

At the same time, Lorelai and Luke were mingling with some people when Lorelai suddenly saw Christopher. "Ok..uh..I have to tell you something." She said turning Luke the opposite way.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked.

"Yeah..uh..Christopher's here." She whispered.

"Oh, well, I guess he knows your parents, so..." Luke said.

"Yeah, but..uh..so Christopher's father died a couple weeks ago and..uh...he took it pretty hard. He had a terrible relationship with the man." She admitted looking over at Chris who was heading their way. "I went over there one night. The night before the re-enactment. Uh...I brought tequila and we talked and drank, just two old friends hanging out. That's all." She said quickly.

"You went over there?" Luke frowned.

"To comfort him. I know I should have told you about it, I just didn't because I didn't want you to read anything into i, or think anything weird and I'm only telling you now because he's here and it might come up and I don't want you to feel shanghaied." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, that would be bad." He said gruffly.

"I'm sorry, Luke. Nothing happened. Please believe me!" Lorelai begged just as Chris came up to them.

"Hey, Lor." He smiled.

"Hi Chris. You know Luke." She said.

"Uh...no, not really. I'm Christopher." Chris said nodding at him.

"Yeah. Heard a lot about you." Luke nodded.

"You too. The coffee is legendary." Chris said.

"Luke and I are engaged." Lorelai said quickly.

"That's..uh..great." Chris forced a smile onto his face.

"Have been for, what, four months now? Man, time, it flies when you're having fun huh? Big fun. Nothing sexual intended, although..." Lorelai rambled.

"Sorry about your dad." Luke said wanting to stop her rambling. One thing he could at least sympathise with the guy about was losing his dad.

"Yeah. Thanks." Chris said.

"I told him about your dad and the tequila." Lorelai said.

"Oh, yeah. It was rough, Lorelai helped me a lot, just being there." Chris said.

"She's a very considerate person." Luke said trying to stay calm.

"Hey, who likes my dress? Because, man, you should have seen the one my mother wanted me to wear..." Lorelai laughed nervously.

"You're cutting off my circulation." Luke said as she held onto his arm.

"I'm sorry." Lorelai said letting go.

"Hey, so where are those kids of ours?" Chris asked.

"Oh..uh.." Lorelai said looking round but luckily they were cut off by Emily and Richard getting ready to come in so they headed off to their tables. "Something wrong?" Lorelai asked Rory as she sat down next to her.

"Coffee sucks." She grumbled.

They all watched as Richard did this lovely speech to Emily and they started to dance to a song that meant a lot to them. Charlotte glanced over at their dad who was watching their mom and Luke, while Rory was looking across at Logan who was laughing with the blonde girl.

"At this time, if you're in love, I invite you to join Emily and Richard on the dance floor." The person in charge announced.

"You wanna dance?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"No thanks." Luke said.

"Please?" Lorelai said seriously. "I promise I will dance just as spazzy as you will." She joked slightly.

"I do not dance spazzy." Luke grunted.

"Then I will be the only spaz on the floor. Please?" She said softly.

Luke sighed and glanced back at her. "I do not dance spazzy." He said with a slight smirk.

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." She said taking hold of his hand and leading him to the dance floor.

Rory got up, taking a deep breath before walking over to Logan's table who was now sat there alone. "Hey.." She said.

"Hey. I like the suit. Kashmir?" He smirked.

"Thanks." Rory said. "So..you're here..."

"Yep." He nodded.

"Who did you come with?"

"My parents. They're around here somewhere."

"And...?" Rory prompted.

"And..." He repeated.

"Who's the blonde?" Rory asked.

"Just a friend. She had nothing to do so I invited her along. Why?" He asked.

"No reason." Rory said quickly. "I just..." She sighed. "Do you want to dance?" She asked, sick of them fighting.

Logan smiled and got up. "After you, Ace." He said as he put his arm round her and they walked onto the dance floor.

Charlotte smiled as she watched them dancing and she could see the tension that was there at the table evaporate as they danced and laughed together. She also smiled when she noticed Rory and Logan walk onto the dance floor as well. She was guessing they had made up. She saw their dad watch their mom and Luke for a moment before getting up and walking away. She sighed as she watched lots of couples start to dance and this was when she started to miss Jess. She knew he would have hated to dance but at least they could have sat their together mocking stuff.

"Someone looks happy." A voice said sitting next to her.

Charlotte looked up and smiled. "You seem to be everywhere nowadays." She smirked.

"Yeah well your Grandma seems to invite me to lots of things recently." Tristan smirked.

"Hmm...I wonder why." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"She pointed me over into your direction and encouraged me to talk to you and in her words, maybe ask you to dance." Tristan told her.

"She doesn't give up." Charlotte sighed.

"Jess isn't here?" He asked.

"Wasn't invited more like." She said.

"Seriously?" Tristan asked surprised.

"Yep!" Charlotte said. "My Grandma has her ways."

"Yeah I'm starting to see that." Tristan nodded. "It's a good party." He said.

"Not too bad." Charlotte nodded.

"So...do you want to dance?" Tristan asked.

"What?" She said surprised.

"As friends!" Tristan said quickly, chuckling. "We might as well have some fun while we're here. And think about the look on your Grandma's face if she saw us dancing." He smirked. "Only to find out you're going back to Jess afterwards."

Charlotte smirked. "It would be fun..."

"Come on then." He said standing up, holding out his hand. "I promise no slow dances." He smirked.

Charlotte laughed and took hold of his hands. "Go on then. You've persuaded me." She said and followed Tristan onto the dance floor.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai was returning to their table with drinks.

"Here you go." She smiled before grimacing. "Oh no! You've been Totsied." She said.

"Well you left me alone." Luke said.

"I warned you about her!"

"I turn around, she's headed right for me, what am I supposed to do?" Luke said.

"Urgh, man." She said.

"It's not that bad."

"Yeah, of course not." She smirked just as Christopher joined them.

"Thought I'd come by for that drink. Man, you've been Totsied!" He snickered at Luke. "Didn't you warn him, Lor?"

"I tried. Moves slow." She said.

"Don't worry about it, man, we've all been there. Lorelai and I went to a funeral, we got Totsied twice! You remember?" He said.

"Uh..no..." Lorelai said.

"No? Come on, it was raining. You were wearing your 'Hell is for children' t-shirt, your mom flipped because we snuck that flask in?" Chris chuckled.

"Huh, sorry, no memory at all." She said before turning to Luke. "You want to dance?" She asked.

"Dance? Get second-hand Totsied, Lor. You know you should burn that suit when you get home. Hey, how's the Inn?" He asked. He turned to Luke. "You know, we had lunch at the Inn last month." He said.

"I know." Luke said gruffly.

"The Inn is fine. Everything is fine." Lorelai said feeling awkward.

"Honey, so sorry to interrupt. Your parents want a picture of just the wedding party in front of the cake before they cut it." Marilyn said coming up to them.

"Ok, I'll just go find the girls." Lorelai said grateful for the distraction.

"I'll go with you." Luke said getting up, wanting to get away from Chris but Chris threw back the rest of the drink and got up to follow them as well.

* * *

Charlotte was walking down the hallway trying to find her mom and Rory after Emily had accosted her about the photos she wanted taking. She suddenly heard shouting coming round the corner and she turned round it to find her mom looking horrified as her dad and Luke were really going for it. "Mom! Grandma's freaking. She wants photos." She said awkwardly. "What's going on?"

"Lorelai and I belong together! Everyone knows it! I know it, Emily knows it!" Chris was shouting.

"What?" Luke said shocked, turning to Lorelai.

"I don't know what she's talking about, Luke, I swear!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Mom! Photos!" Charlotte said.

"Tell Grandma, I'll be right there." Lorelai said.

"Look, I blew it, ok?" Chris said to her. "I know that I blew it. You waited and I didn't come through and now you're with him. But it's not too late!" He said.

"Chris, please..."

"It's not too late! I know it's not too late! Emily told me it wasn't too late!" He exclaimed. "I mean, that's why I'm here, ok? I know you're with him, that you're engaged. But it's for now, it's not forever. It's just for now. I know that!"

"Where's your Grandma?" Lorelai asked Charlotte.

"Uh...by the cake..." Charlotte said quietly. "Mom..."

"Be right back!" She said angrily, storming off.

"Luke, have you seen Rory?" She asked quietly.

"No, sorry..." Luke said still glaring at Chris.

"Why are you asking him? I'm your dad! You should be asking me!" Chris said.

"Oh, really? You're their dad, that's your reason why they should come and ask you?" Luke scoffed. "That's funny!"

"They are my daughters! Mine! And Lorelai's. Not yours! They don't concern you!" Chris said angrily.

"Dad please!" Charlotte begged, just as Rory came round the corner.

"What's going on?" Rory asked.

"They've lost it..." Charlotte said.

"Oh really? Well if you're their dad, where the hell were you when they got the chicken pox and would only eat mashed potatoes for a week or where were you when they graduated high school or started college? Huh? Who the hell moved their mattresses into their dorm and out of her dorm and back into her dorm again?" Luke said angrily. "Me, that's who! I've been there for them, not you! So don't you dare swan in and play the dad card!"

"Luke, please..." Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlotte and Rory are mine and Lorelai's business, not yours!" Chris said stubbornly.

"Well, I'm with Lorelai! We're engaged! We're getting married!" Luke said.

"For now!" Chris said.

"I don't believe this..." Luke muttered. "Look, Lorelai wants to be with me. She said yes to my proposal. Mine!" He said angrily. "So just butt out and understand that she chose me, not you!"

"Well Charlotte and Rory want their parents together! Not you and Lorelai! They've told me that!" Chris lied. "They resent you because you're the reason their parents aren't together! They've told me!"

"DAD STOP!" Charlotte shouted aghast. She turned to Luke who looked hurt. "That's not true, Luke. You've got to believe that."

"I have to get out of here." Luke said quietly.

"Luke please! Don't listen to him. Mom loves you!" Rory joined in. "How could you say that?" She turned on their dad.

"Rory..."

"No! Don't Rory me! Why would you lie like that? I've stood by you so many times and defended you but saying stuff that isn't true and is just plain cruel is just mean!" Rory said angrily.

"You promised! You promised you wouldn't mess things up between mom and Luke! You told us you were happy for them! We came to you and we begged you not to interfere!" Charlotte said angrily. "And you have the gall to say you're our dad and we should have nothing to do with Luke? This is low, even for you!" She snapped. She turned to Luke. "Nothing he said was true, Luke. We went to him and we asked him to stay away. That's it!"

"I need some air." Luke shook his head turning and walking off.

"No, Luke wait!" Charlotte begged and she and Rory raced after him as he tried to find his way out. Luke went through some doors but immediately stopped. "Luke?" Charlotte said.

"Wrong way, turn round." Luke told them.

"What?" Rory said confused, looking past him.

"No Rory, don't..." Luke tried.

Rory froze when she saw Logan in the room in some sort of undress, kissing the blonde girl who he was with before. She felt tears prick her eyes.

"I'm going to kill him..." Luke said menacingly, starting to go towards Logan who had jumped apart when he heard them.

"No, Luke, don't..." Charlotte said holding him back.

"What's going on?" Chris asked obliviously having followed them.

"Just a friend..." Rory choked out. "Yeah right...I should have known you wouldn't change..."

"Rory...let me explain..." Logan pleaded.

"No! This is why you've been distant isn't it? Because you've found a better option!" Rory snapped, tears running down her face. "Well, Logan..." She said venomously. "You're welcome to her because we're over!"

"Rory please!" Logan pleaded but Rory slammed the doors shut before Luke could kill him.

"Wait, that was your boyfriend?" Chris said starting to get angry.

"And you claim you're the best dad ever!" Charlotte scoffed. "Then how come Luke knows more about us than you do?" She snapped. She turned to Rory. "Are you ok?" She asked softly.

"I need to get out of here." Rory said quietly.

"You and me both." Luke sighed.

Rory glanced at me. "Take me home?" She said quietly.

Luke glanced at her. He knew he needed some time alone, some space to think about stuff but he couldn't leave Rory like that so he nodded. "Come on." He said softly. Rory gave him a small smile and followed him.

"Rory!" Chris tried to go after her.

"Don't you dare!" Charlotte turned on him angrily.

Chris sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I said things that weren't true. But I do know your mom doesn't belong with that guy! I mean, how great would it be if we could all be a family finally?" He tried.

Charlotte glared at him, crossing her arms against her chest. "We're already a family. With Luke." She said. "I can't believe you. We're finally on good terms and you come and do something like this! Mom and Luke are engaged! I swear, if you've done anything to mess that up, to mess up mom's happiness..." She said.

"Charlotte..."

"No! I actually thought you understood. I actually thought you'd let mom be happy! How wrong was I? I've never asked you anything before. This was the first thing and I shouldn't be surprised that you broke that promise to me because you've broken every other promise you ever made! But guess what dad?" She said really emphasising his name. "I've had enough! We're done. You and me. We're done!" She said trembling.

"You don't mean that..." Chris said shocked.

"I do! Luke is the first person to make mom truly happy and he's been amazing to me and Rory. He's been there for us unlike you! And guess what? He hasn't done it just because he wanted to be with mom. He did it because he genuinely cared about us! And now you've even made him doubt that we've appreciated that!" Charlotte said shakily. "Just go! I'm sick of looking at you."

"Charlotte..." Chris said.

"GO!" Charlotte shouted, feeling tears fall down her face. She watched as her dad finally got the message and reluctantly walked off.

"Charlotte?" A voice said behind her.

She turned to see Tristan standing there, she didn't know for how long. "Uh, your Grandma asked me to find you...What's going on?"

Charlotte just shook her head and walked towards him, putting her arms round him and broke down.

Tristan was shocked but reciprocated the action, rubbing her back trying to comfort her. "It's ok." He tried to reassure her. He suddenly spotted Jess appear round the corner looking stunned, obviously having observed everything as well. He caught his eyes and gestured him to come forward which he did. Tristan then gently turned Charlotte round and let her sought comfort from her boyfriend. "Take care of her." Tristan said before walking off, leaving them to it.

Jess was shocked as she held Charlotte close. "What's happened?" He asked softly.

"Everything's ruined. Grandma and dad have ruined everything!" Charlotte cried, trying to wipe some tears away.

"What's happened?" He asked.

Charlotte sniffed and eventually pulled away from the hug and glanced up at him. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I was going to surprise you. Show your Grandma that we're going to be together no matter what. Show her that we were happy and prove it to her." Jess said. "But I guess I arrived at the wrong time because you don't look very happy." He said smirking slightly.

Charlotte smirked slightly. "That's sweet..." She said softly.

"This thing with your dad...does it have anything to do with me seeing Luke storm out of here?" He asked cautiously.

Charlotte sighed. "I want to go home. Can you take me?" She asked quietly.

"Sure." He nodded. "But..."

"I'll tell you everything. I just...I can't be here anymore. Please." Charlotte said quietly.

"Ok." Jess said softly, putting his arm round her. "Let's go."

Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile. "Thanks." She said as they headed to the exit. She glanced at him. "So how was the band practice?" She asked.

"Didn't have one." Jess admitted.

"What?" Charlotte frowned.

"I only said that so you wouldn't feel bad about your Grandma not inviting me." He admitted sheepishly. "But I was sat in the apartment, bored out of my mind, so I finally decided to come anyway...I'm sorry I lied to you but..." He said, glancing at her who was smiling up at him. "What?" He said unnerved.

"You big softy." Charlotte said softly before kissing his cheek. "I love you."

Jess blushed slightly. "Yeah back at you." He smirked as they walked outside and walked towards the car park.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lorelai had found her mother by the cake and she was getting photos with her father. She watched stonily until the photographer finished and then she walked over.

"Oh there she is!" Marilyn exclaimed. "Where are the girl?"

"Oh..they're coming." Lorelai said distractedly.

"Well I guess we'll have the mother daughter photo first then!" Marilyn smiled pulling her over and positioning her next to Emily.

Lorelai stood there next to her mother and before the photographer took the photo, she leaned over to her mother. "You and me. We're done." She said vehemently.

 **So I hope you liked the drama! Try not to hate me too much! :P Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading them so thank you! :)**


	51. Chapter 51

**I'm on a role so here's another chapter! It's the aftermath, so hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 50

Luke glanced across at Rory as she leant against the window on the passenger side of the truck. "Are you ok?" He asked softly.

Rory sniffed and turned to him, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "No." She answered honestly. "But I'll get over it."

"I'm sorry." Luke said awkwardly. "You..uh..you deserve better than that jerk."

Rory smiled softly at him. "Thanks Luke." She said. She sighed. "I honestly thought he'd changed for me. I knew his reputation before I got with him, I heard things. But he swore to me that he loved me and that he wanted to be with me. I mean Charlotte even warned me when we first got together but I didn't listen. They started getting on after a while so I thought everything was good. I should have known a leopard can never change his spots." She said quietly. She glanced at him. "I know you didn't like him. I could tell on that first triple date we did. I know you made an effort on the second one but I could still tell." She said.

Luke sighed. "I just couldn't take to him. I don't know why but I didn't want you getting hurt. I'm sorry." He said.

"It's not your fault." Rory sighed. "You were right."

"I mean I know I was never a huge fan of Tristan either or Dean..." He said.

"Really? I'd never have guessed after you beat Dean up that one time." Rory said with a slight smirk.

Luke ducked his head sheepishly. "Yeah I probably shouldn't have done that. But what I'm saying is that...well even though I wasn't a huge fan of them, it was really down to the fact that I still saw you as a ten year old and I guess I felt sort of protective of you..."

"Luke..." Rory said softly.

"But I knew deep down that neither of them would ever...well would ever look at anyone else apart from you. I could tell they did genuinely care about you." Luke said awkwardly.

"But you didn't get that with Logan?" Rory said quietly.

Luke sighed. "I don't know. I just...I couldn't take to him."

"Well I should have listened to you." She sighed.

"But I still shouldn't have acted like I did. I overstepped the mark. I mean, I'm not...well...your dad." He said quietly as he drove up beside the diner in Stars Hollow.

"Luke..." Rory said softly.

"I didn't want to leave you at yours when no one's there so I figured I'd bring you here. I could make you some coffee or something." Luke said changing the subject.

"Sure...thanks." Rory said, giving him a small smile. She watched as Luke got out and came round to her side, offering her a hand to help her down. She smiled and took it and then followed him into the diner.

"Coffee?" Luke asked.

"Please." Rory said quietly as she got on a stool at the counter. She watched as Luke turned his back and started making some coffee. "You're not my dad, no..." She said quietly. "But you're much more than that."

Luke stopped what he was doing for a moment. "Rory...you don't have to..." He said awkwardly.

"I do have to." Rory said. "Don't listen to what dad says. You mean a lot to me and Charlotte. And we were so happy when you and mom got together and then when you proposed. You make her happy, Luke. Happier than we've ever seen her..."

Luke poured her a mug of coffee and handed it to her. "Rory..."

"No please!" She said. "That night, she went to dad's with the tequila, it really was just to comfort a friend. I know she didn't tell you about it but that was mine and Charlotte's fault. She wanted to tell you the morning after. Remember the morning of the reenactment? She wanted to tell you in the diner when you saw us but we were the ones to stop her." Rory said quietly. "I'm really sorry but we just didn't want it to mess things up between you two. I know it was the wrong decision, I know that now. That we should have let her tell you because it was innocent, it really was. But we made a split decision and I'm really sorry." She said quietly, glancing up at him. She felt tears in her eyes. "And now this has happened and we could have prevented it. I'm so sorry, Luke."

"Hey, it's ok." Luke said softly reaching over and putting his hand over hers. "None of this is your fault ok?"

"But..." Rory said.

"None of this is your or Charlotte's fault." He repeated. "Don't ever think that ok?"

Rory let out a big breath. "Ok." She said quietly. She glanced at him. "Mom really loves you, Luke. She wants to marry you..."

"Rory, I can't..." Luke said before sighing. "I know you're trying to help. But I just...I need some time to get my head round some things, that's all." He said.

"And then what?" Rory asked hesitantly. "You and mom will be ok, won't you?"

Luke sighed. "I hope so." He said, looking at Rory's worried face. "I really hope so." He said softly.

"Ok." Rory said quietly, starting to drink her coffee.

"You want some pie?" He asked.

Rory smiled slightly. "Yes please. Pie would be really good right now." She said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jess had driven Charlotte back to the Crap Shack and they were sat on the porch swing outside, Charlotte leaning her head on Jess' shoulder. "I genuinely thought he was going to do the right thing for once." Charlotte said quietly. "We were actually finally on good terms. Everything was good. And then he came and did something like this..."

"You think it was his plan all along?" Jess asked.

"No. This had my Grandma written all over it." Charlotte said. "Dad mentioned her and then everything clicked. I mean we both know she doesn't like us being together but mom was engaged to Luke. She was happy and she was going to marry him and I know my Grandma wasn't happy about that at all. She put up with it when they were just dating but them getting engaged was different. I bet she invited dad and told him he had a chance with mom."

"You really think she did that? She'd ruin Lorelai's happiness just like that?" Jess asked surprised.

"I'd bet all my money on it." Charlotte said, gritting her teeth. "I can't believe her! This was just going way too far!"

"So you think she manipulated your dad? So this was all her fault?"

"It was her fault but dad could have said no. Could have told her to stop interfering. But he didn't because she saw a glimmer of hope. He thought with my Grandma on his side, he might have a shot and everything he'd promised me and Rory went straight out of the window." Charlotte said angrily. "I can't believe them!"

Jess sighed. "I'm sure your mom and Luke will be fine. They'll work things out." He tried to reassure her.

"But what if they don't? Mom was the happiest I'd ever seen her when her and Luke got together. He's everything to her and dad could have ruined everything because he played on Luke's insecurities and he knew it! He knew he'd hit a nerve!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"They'll be fine." Jess repeated. "And just think about the one thing your Grandma can't ruin." He said.

"What?" Charlotte said sullenly.

"Us." He said simply. "She will never break us, as much as she might try."

Charlotte's expression softened and she smiled up at him. "Yeah. You're right." She said softly. "You and me are forever right?"

"Right." Jess smiled.

Charlotte smiled and leant in and kissed him. "I love you." She said.

"I love you too." Jess said reciprocating the action.

* * *

Back at the vow renewal venue, Lorelai stalked away from her mother after the photos leaving Emily standing there stunned. Emily spotted Chris and stormed over to him. "What happened?" She hissed at him. "I told you to win her back! She just told me she was done! What happened?"

"I did as you told me! I told her we belonged together! I tried to tell her Luke wasn't good enough for her and that I was ready now. I told her everyone knew it, including you!" Chris exclaimed. "But then she stormed off!"

"You told her I knew? You idiot!" Emily hissed. "You better fix this! Now!"

"How?"

"She's just gone in that direction. Find her and make her see sense and then everything will be fine and she'll be back thanking me for getting you two together!" She said. "Now! Go!"

"Fine!" Chris said, walking off.

"Emily? What was all that about?" Richard's voice said.

Emily spun round to find her husband with a frown on his face. "Richard..." She said.

* * *

Chris caught up to Lorelai and raced after her. "Lor, wait! Please!" He said.

"What do you want, Chris?" Lorelai said annoyed.

"I meant what I said before..." He said. "Please Lor!"

"I'm not in the mood, Chris. Where's Luke and the girls?" She asked.

"I don't know but Luke went off. See? He just gave up and left! He told me I was welcome to you!" Chris lied, trying to grab his moment. "You're meant to be engaged so why would he just give up like that huh? He obviously doesn't love you like I do! I really think we could make this work, I really do!"

Lorelai glanced at him. "What do you mean, he just gave up? Luke wouldn't do that..." She said quietly.

"Well he did! He backed down pretty quickly and just walked off." Chris shrugged.

"He wouldn't..." Lorelai said quietly, feeling tears prick his eyes.

"That's because he didn't." A voice said from behind them.

"Who the hell are you?" Chris said annoyed at the person interfering.

"Tristan?" Lorelai said surprised.

"I'm the person who's not going to let you lie to her about her fiance. That's who I am." Tristan said.

"You don't know what you're talking about! Just mind your own business!" Chris snapped, getting more and more agitated. "Don't listen to him, Lor."

Lorelai looked at Tristan. "Tristan?"

"I was there. Luke didn't give up. He fought for you." Tristan told her.

"Then why did he leave huh?" Chris snapped.

"Because I have a feeling he would have punched you if he didn't." Tristan said simply. "Plus he knew Rory needed to get out of here."

"Wait, what? Rory left with him?" Lorelai asked confused.

Tristan sighed. "She..uh..she caught Logan kissing this girl..." He said awkwardly.

"Oh god..." Lorelai said quietly.

"She needed to get out of here so Luke offered her a lift." Tristan told her.

"And Charlotte?" Lorelai asked.

"Jess turned up. I think he must have taken her home." He said.

"Ok thanks." She said. "I'm going to go then."

"Wait Lor!" Chris said desperately.

"Just leave me alone, Christopher!" She snapped. "Don't you think you've done enough already! Don't follow me!" She said before walking off.

Chris glared at Tristan. "Who do you think you are? You know nothing about any of this!" He snapped.

"I know you were lying to her and she deserved to know the truth." Tristan said calmly.

"And business is it of yours? I don't even know you!" He snapped.

Tristan snorted. "Charlotte was right. You really know nothing about them, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I went out with Rory for about a year and a half." Tristan said.

"What?" Chris frowned.

Tristan laughed. "You're pathetic!"

"Excuse me?" Chris narrowed his eyes. "Ok, so if you went out with Rory, why were you flirting with my other daughter all night?" He said.

It was Tristan's turn to narrow his eyes. "Charlotte's a friend. She was by herself so I kept her company."

"Oh yeah, I bet you loved that! Rory was with someone else so you decided to go with her sister for revenge." Chris smirked.

"You better stop talking." Tristan said clenching his fists. "Charlotte's a good friend. She's happy with Jess. I wouldn't mess that up. You obviously have different opinions on destroying people's relationships." He said.

"Ok fine! But I bet you were ecstatic what happened earlier then with Rory's boyfriend. So you can swoop in and be the hero." He said.

"Oh yeah, I was over the moon that Rory was devastated." Tristan said heartbroken.

"Well it would give you an in, wouldn't it? Or are you after both of my daughters?" Chris sneered. He suddenly felt a fist connect with his nose. "What the hell?" He exclaimed.

"You're sick!" Tristan said angrily. "Luke is a hundred times the man you are and I'm going to make sure you don't mess up that family." He said before storming off, leaving Chris standing there with blood trickling down his face, shocked.

Tristan stormed down the hallway, suddenly bumping into the one person he least wanted to bump into. "Jerk." He said angrily.

"What did you say?" Logan snapped.

"I said you were a jerk!" Tristan said angrily. "How could you do that to Rory?"

"I don't think it's any of your business, mate." Logan frowned.

"I'm not your mate." Tristan said gritting his teeth. "You're cheating jerk and Rory's better off without you." He said walking off.

"Oh so she's better off with you then, is she? Going to swoop in there, are you?" Logan provoked him.

Tristan turned round and glared at him. "I'd watch what you're saying if I were you."

"Yeah or what?" Logan smirked. "You're the pathetic one. You think Rory would get back with you? She didn't even sleep with you!" He laughed.

For the second time that night, Tristan found his fist connecting with someone's face. "I warned you." Tristan said vehemently before storming off, shaking his fist slightly. He walked round the corner and stopped when he saw Lorelai sat on a seat with her head in her hands. He tried to calm down his breathing before slowly walking over to her. "Hey.." He said.

Lorelai looked up and gave him a small smile. "Oh hi Tristan..."

"I thought you were going home." He said.

"Yeah I am. I just...needed a minute." She sighed.

"I get that." Tristan said wincing as he looked at his knuckles.

"What's happened?" Lorelai frowned.

"Oh nothing..." He said, shrugging it off.

"Something obviously has. And you seem pretty agitated." She said.

Tristan sighed and sat down next to her. "You'd hate me if I told you." He said.

"Nah I think I've used all my hate for today." She joked lightly. "Try me."

He ducked his head sheepishly. "I might have punched your ex." He admitted.

"Chris? Seriously?" She asked shocked.

"And then I might have punched Logan." He said.

"Well you have been busy..." Lorelai said stunned.

"It just happened..." He sighed.

"Ok...well I can sort of understand why you'd punch Logan. But Chris?"

"He provoked me." Tristan said. "Implied I was after Charlotte which I'm obviously not because she's with Jess and he's been a good friend to me. And I don't go after my mate's girlfriends. It just hit a nerve."

"I can understand that." Lorelai smiled sympathetically knowing that Tristan and Logan had once been close friends.

"You're not mad?" Tristan asked surprised.

"I'm pretty sure Chris deserved it." Lorelai commented. She glanced at him. "Luke really didn't give up?" She asked.

Tristan looked at her and shook his head. "He was fighting for you but then Chris started going on about how Charlotte and Rory wanted you and him together and I think it just got too much. He needed some air, I think. That's why he left." He told her. "And then Rory found Logan so Luke offered to take her home."

Lorelai nodded. She sighed and looked at him. "Come on, come back with me for a bit." She said. "I can clean your knuckles up."

"Oh no, it's fine. Honestly." He said.

"No I insist." Lorelai said. "A little thanks for looking out for me." She gave him a small smile. "And for defending Rory's honour..."

Tristan blushed slightly. "Logan provoked me..." He said.

"You don't need to explain." Lorelai said. "Come on, let's go. I might even buy you some food on the way there. I'm starving!"

Tristan had to smirk. "That's a surprise."

"Oi!" Lorelai nudged him playfully but smirked. "Come on." She smiled softly.

"Ok." Tristan said getting up with her. He glanced across at her. "Thanks."

"No. Thank you." Lorelai smiled at him. "I know we never really spoke after you and Rory broke up but you were good to her. You had no obligation to help out today but you did. You stepped forward and told me the truth..."

"You were always good to me when I was with Rory." Tristan shrugged. "And I know Luke might not have been my biggest fan..." He said chuckling slightly. "...but he was good to me too. I couldn't just stand and let you get lied to and manipulated. You and Luke, you fit together." He shrugged.

"You're a good guy, Tristan." Lorelai smiled softly at him. "And I'm sure Rory will see that at some point."

"Oh...no...I didn't do this to win her back or something..." Tristan said quickly, his eyes widening.

"Relax, I didn't mean that." She said. "I just meant...you're a good guy."

Tristan glanced at her and gave her a small smile. "I try." He said.

* * *

"Everything ok?" Luke asked Rory as he saw her glance at her phone.

"Yeah, it's just Charlotte. She's home." Rory said.

"Oh ok. Well I can drive you." He said.

"Oh you don't need to. I'll walk." She said.

"Yeah, no chance." Luke said.

Rory smirked slightly. "Ok, well thanks." She said.

Luke tidied everything up and then they headed outside and he drove Rory back to the Crap Shack. He pulled up on the driveway.

Rory opened her door and turned to Luke. "Thanks for the lift." She smiled.

"No problem." He said seeing Charlotte and Jess on the porch swing. "Jess? Want a lift?" He called, not even realising that Jess had been with Charlotte.

"Yeah, coming!" Jess called.

Rory got out of the truck and turned back to Luke. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You might not be our dad. But you're the closest Charlotte and I have ever had to one. Please don't doubt that." She said quietly.

Luke smiled softly at her. "Thanks." He said.

"You mean a lot to us." Rory said. "And mom loves you. She chose you and she will keep choosing you. Please don't give up on her." She said.

"Rory..."

"I know, I know! You need time, I get that. I just wanted to have my say, that's all." Rory said.

Luke smiled at her. "Night Rory." He said.

"Night." Rory smiled before turning round and heading towards the house whilst Jess got into the truck and Luke drove off back to the diner.

* * *

Lorelai arrived back at the Crap Shack with Tristan later that evening and she led him inside. "Girls?" She called.

"In here!" Charlotte called from the living room.

"Hey." Lorelai smiled at her daughters as she saw them on the couch. "I've brought a straggler home." She joked.

"Tristan?" Rory said surprised getting up, shocked at seeing her ex back in her house.

"Yeah sorry I didn't warn you but someone thought he was Rocky Bilbao tonight and it was sort of my fault so the least I could offer was to help clean him up." Lorelai said. "We still have that first aid kit?" She asked.

"Yeah it's in the kitchen. Come on, I'll show you." Charlotte said smiling at Tristan, who followed her through to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Rory asked.

"He punched your dad." Lorelai told her.

"What?" Rory said shocked.

"It sounds like he was provoked. Your dad implied he was going after your sister and it hit a nerve since Jess is a friend of his and he said he'd never do that." She said cautiously.

"Oh." Rory said quietly, ducking her head guiltily.

"He also punched Logan." Lorelai said, smirking slightly.

"What?" Rory whipped her head up.

"Sounds like he was defending your honour..." She said gently.

Rory sighed. "I let a really good one go, didn't I?" She asked quietly.

"It's never too late to fix things." Lorelai said softly.

"It is for us." Rory said quietly. She glanced up at her mom. "But it's not for you and Luke." She said.

"Rory..."

"He loves you, mom. I know he does." She said softly.

"And I love him. So much." Lorelai said. "But I know Luke. He needs time to process. I'm doing everything to stop myself from running straight round there but I just know that might really ruin everything. I need to be careful or I could lose him for good. And I really don't want that..." She said quietly.

"I get that." Rory said quietly. "You and Luke are going to be ok though, aren't you?"

"I hope so." Lorelai gave her a small smile. "I really hope so."

Rory smiled slightly, remembering that was exactly the same answer Luke had given and she felt hopeful that things really were going to be ok.

"All done!" Charlotte smiled as she appeared back in the living room with Tristan.

"I better get off." Tristan said. "Thanks." He gave Lorelai a smile.

"You're welcome." Lorelai smiled at him. "Hey Charlotte, there's something I want to show you in the kitchen." She said quickly leading her bemused daughter back into the kitchen leaving Tristan and Rory awkwardly standing in the living room.

"So..uh..I hear you punched Logan..." Rory said.

"Yeah..I know I shouldn't have but I was already worked up and he provoked me..." Tristan said awkwardly.

"Well you've done me a favour." Rory said quietly. She glanced up at him. "Thanks." She said quietly.

"I heard what he did. I'm sorry." Tristan said.

"Thanks." Rory said quietly.

"He doesn't deserve you, Rory." He said. "I'm not saying this to win you back or anything and I didn't punch him because I thought you'd come running back to me or anything. I just...I care about you and I hate the fact that he hurt you and...I'm going to shut up now..." He said realising he was rambling.

Rory smirked slightly. "Tristan?" She said.

"Yeah?" He said embarrassed.

"Thanks." She smiled softly at him.

Tristan blushed slightly and ducked his head slightly. "Are you ok?" He asked sincerely, glancing up at her.

"I will be." Rory said.

"I better get going." Tristan said. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you around." Rory smiled softly at him as she watched him leave. She let out a big breath before walking through to the kitchen where her mom and sister were. "So...who fancies a movie?" She suggested.

"Me." Lorelai sighed.

"I'm up for it." Charlotte smiled.

* * *

Back at the diner, Jess and Luke were up in the apartment getting ready to go to bed. Jess glanced over at his uncle. "Charlotte told me what happened..." He said hesitantly.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Luke said.

"She thinks the world of you, Luke." Jess said.

"What?" Luke said glancing over at him.

"Charlotte. She really looks up to you." Jess said. "She told me Lorelai was the happiest she'd ever seen her with you..."

"Jess, I really don't want to talk about Lorelai. Not yet." Luke said.

Jess sighed. "Fair enough." He said. He glanced over at him. "So rough night huh?"

"You could say that." Luke sighed.

"Do you..uh..do you think...uh..do you need a hug?" Jess asked awkwardly.

"What?" Luke said surprised.

"Well isn't that what happens when someone you care about is upset? I hear hugs help." Jess grumbled.

Luke smirked slightly. "Hugs help?" He teased.

"Oh forget it! Don't say I didn't try!" Jess grumbled.

"Jess?" Luke said.

"What?"

"A hug would be nice." Luke smiled softly.

Jess glanced over at him and gave him a small smile before going over and pulling his uncle into a hug. "Lorelai would be a fool to let you go. And you'd be a fool to let her go." He said gruffly.

Luke pulled out of the hug. "How do you fancy a camping trip?" He asked.

"A camping trip? When?" Jess asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Luke said. "Just for a night. I just feel like I need a new setting to get my head straight. Think about some things." He said. He glanced at his nephew. "But some company would be nice."

"Ok. Sure." Jess nodded.

"Really?" Luke asked surprised.

"Someone has to talk some sense into you." Jess shrugged, smirking slightly.

"Ok, get to bed." Luke said shaking his head but smirking slightly.

"Night Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

"Night Jess." Luke said.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think, thanks! :)**


	52. Chapter 52

**Thank you so much for all your support so far! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 51

"Since when were you two friends?" Luke asked and he sat by the campfire, glancing across at Jess and Tristan. "When you asked to invite someone, I figured it would be Charlotte..."

"Yeah because that wouldn't be awkward seeing as you needed some space to think." Jess said.

"So...?"

Jess sighed. "We've been friends ever since that double date we went on. We just wanted to keep it quiet because I didn't want it to be awkward with Rory." He shrugged.

"Guess that makes sense." Luke said.

"Plus I hear Tristan was a bit of a hero after we left yesterday." Jess said smirking slightly.

"Jess..." Tristan said.

"What? You were. I would have given anything to punch that deadbeat of a dad and Logan." He shrugged.

"You punched Christopher?" Luke asked stunned.

"He was lying to Lorelai about what happened, telling her you'd just given up on her and left saying that he was free to have you." Tristan said awkwardly. "I couldn't just stand there and let him lie to her. Lorelai's been good to me."

"So you punched him?"

"No that was after. After Lorelai left." Tristan said. "He was implying stuff about me and Charlotte and it wound me up. And then I guess I bumped into Logan at the wrong time."

"Did Lorelai believe him?" Luke asked.

"No. Even if I wasn't there, she never would have believed him because she loves you. It's obvious." Tristan shrugged.

Luke glanced at him. "Why are you doing all this?" He asked gruffly. "You have no obligation to our family but you made sure Lorelai knew the truth and now you're telling me..."

"You were good to me when I was with Rory. I owe you." Tristan shrugged. "Plus Charlotte was really upset and she's been a good friend to me."

"Plus you're hoping Rory will notice." Jess said smirking slightly.

"What? No!" He denied.

"Oh come on, you still have feelings for her. You never stopped." Jess said.

Tristan ducked his head slightly. "I'm not doing this because of her. I did it because it was the right things to do."

"Ok fair enough, I didn't mean that. But you do still have feelings for her." Jess said.

Tristan glanced at Luke who was watching him and felt uncomfortable. "She would never want me back anyway." He said. "I'm going to go get some more wood for the fire." He said getting up and walking off.

"He so still likes her." Jess smirked.

"You really think so?" Luke asked.

"He never stopped. It's obvious." Jess shrugged. He glanced at his uncle. "Anyway, how are you feeling?" He asked.

Luke shrugged. "Alright."

"Because that was so convincing." Jess rolled his eyes.

Luke sighed. "I don't know how I'm feeling." He admitted.

"Do you want to be with her?" Jess asked.

"What? Of course I do! What sort of question is that?" Luke said.

"Well then I don't get what you have to think about." He said. "You want to be with her, she wants to be with you. What's there to think about?"

Luke gave him a look. "It's more complicated than that. Christopher is always going to be around, he's Charlotte's and Rory's dad and he's always going to want to be with Lorelai and he'll have Emily's backing!"

"Well Charlotte wants nothing to do with him." Jess said.

"What?" Luke said looking up.

"Did I not tell you? She told him she was done with him. You must have left by then." Jess said.

Luke frowned. "She doesn't mean that. He's her dad."

"No. He's never been there for her, you have." Jess commented. "They want you to be with Lorelai. You're engaged for god's sake. Just man up and talk to her."

"Jess..." Luke warned.

He sighed. "Fine." He said knowing he wasn't going to get anymore out of him. Jess glanced over at him. "Seeing as you want the subject changed, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." He nodded.

"I..uh..you know how I've been writing a lot recently." Jess said.

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "Have you written a new song or something?"

"Not exactly." He said. "I..uh..I've written a book..." He admitted.

"A book?" Luke asked surprised.

"A short novel really." Jess said. "I've spent months on it and I've recently finished it."

"Well that's great, Jess!" Luke smiled.

"Yeah...the thing is, I found an editor and publisher for it." He said glancing down at the ground.

"It's going to get published? That's amazing, Jess! I'm so proud of you." Luke said enthusiastically.

"Thanks." Jess said ducking his head slightly. "That's not all though. The publishing house, Truncheon it's called, apparently really liked it. They've..uh..sort of offered me a job at the company." He admitted, glancing at Luke.

Luke glanced at him. "Ok see I would think this was good news but why does it look like you're about to go to the gallows?" He said.

"Truncheon...uh..it's based in Philadelphia." Jess admitted quietly.

"Oh." Luke said suddenly understanding. "Have you told Charlotte?" He asked softly.

"Not yet." Jess shook his head. "I just...I don't know whether I should take it..." He admitted.

"What? Jess you have to, it's amazing!" Luke said surprised. "I'm sure Charlotte would want you to..."

"It's not just her." Jess said. "I just...I have lots of commitments in Stars Hollow. Andrew's bookstore, the band...I don't want to let them down..."

"Well...I'm sure they would understand if you explained the situation to them." Luke said slowly. "The band could find another guitar player."

"I know, I just feel bad. They've been so good to me and Lane's been a good friend. I'd feel bad..." He sighed.

"Well, do you want my opinion?" Luke asked.

"I don't know, do I?" Jess asked.

"I think you should tell Charlotte about it and then you should tell Lane. I'm pretty sure Lane would understand how much this means to you. You're right, she's been a good friend to you so she will understand." He said.

"I guess..." Jess sighed.

"Are you worried about what the distance will do to you and Charlotte?" Luke asked softly.

"Not really." He said honestly. "I know we'll be ok. We're good, strong. I just...there's a lot to think about." He said, glancing at him. "It would mean me moving out and if you and Lorelai don't work it out, you'll be moping around by yourself without me kicking your ass in gear." He said smirking slightly.

"Oh I see! This is emotional blackmail!" Luke chuckled.

"Has it worked?" Jess smirked.

"No. But good try." Luke smirked.

"Worth a try." Jess shrugged.

"I will miss you though." Luke said sincerely.

Jess gave him a small smile. "Yeah, back at you." He said ducking his head slightly.

* * *

"So are you two heading back to Yale today?" Sookie smiled at Charlotte and Rory as they sat in the kitchen at the inn eating breakfast with Lorelai.

"Yep straight after this." Charlotte nodded.

"And how are you doing popcorn?" She smiled sympathetically at Rory.

"I'm ok." Rory said. "Just want to move on..."

"Fair enough." Sookie said. "Well eat as much as you want, girlies." She smiled.

"Thanks Sookie!" Charlotte smiled tucking into her food.

"So Luke's gone fishing?" Sookie asked Lorelai cautiously.

"Apparently so." Lorelai said.

"Camping." Charlotte said. "Jess and Tristan have gone with him."

"Wait, Tristan?" Rory asked surprised.

"Apparently so." Charlotte said. "Turns out him and Jess are actually besties. I only found out this morning."

"I didn't know that..." Rory said quietly.

"I think they just didn't want it to be awkward for you." Charlotte said glancing at her.

"Oh." Rory said, focusing back on her food. "Well tell Jess I don't mind."

"Ok." She smiled at her. "Right I've finished. You ready to go?" She asked her.

"Yep!" Rory said eating her last mouthful. "Bye mom!"

"Drive safe." Lorelai smiled giving them both a kiss. "And you, call me if you need to talk ok?" She told Rory.

"I will." Rory smiled softly. "Bye."

"Bye mom." Charlotte smiled and then followed Rory out.

"So are you ok?" Sookie asked Lorelai.

"I'm ok." Lorelai sighed.

"Really?"

"I don't know. I just wish it had never happened." She sighed.

"So what did happen?" Sookie asked cautiously.

"Christopher showed up." Lorelai said.

"Oh no..."

"My mother invited him."

"Oh no!" Sookie grimaced.

"And I hadn't exactly told Luke about that tequila night with Chris after his dad died so I told him and there was a big blow-up. Chris went nuts, Luke went nuts and he got mad and then he left. And now apparently he's said he needs time to think which I get."

"How much time?"

"I don't know but he's gone off camping. I just wish we could talk but I don't want to push him because I don't want to lose him forever. However, him saying he needs time to think obviously means he's probably wondering whether to even give us another go." Lorelai said quietly.

"Don't be silly! He's waited forever for you. He's not just going to give up." Sookie reassured her. "He just needs time to process but mark my words, when he gets back, he'll be here and everything will be ok again. Just wait and see."

"I really hope so, Sook." Lorelai sighed. "We're meant to be getting married..."

"And you will." Sookie assured her.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory arrived back at Yale and headed to their dorm. "Oh geez..." Rory said as they turned the corner to their dorm.

Charlotte looked and saw Logan sat outside. She glanced at Rory. "Do you want me to get rid of him?" She asked.

"No, I guess I needed to deal with this at some point." Rory sighed as they walked towards him. "What do you want?" She said.

"To talk. Let me explain." Logan said.

"Explain what? How it felt to have your tongue down someone else's throat? Because don't bother, I don't particularly want to know." Rory snapped.

"Rory please..."

"No! What do you expect, Logan? That I catch you kissing someone else and I'd just be ok with that?" Rory exclaimed.

"It just happened! I didn't plan it!" Logan exclaimed.

"Oh so that makes it so much better!" Rory said sarcastically.

"Hey it's what happened to us!" Logan said. "So don't act all goody goody because you cheated on Tristan!"

"I can't believe you just threw that back in my face." Rory said quietly, feeling tears in her eyes. "What happened between me and you was the biggest mistake of my life and Tristan didn't deserve what we did. I never want to see you again, Logan." She said vehemently.

"Rory I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No you never do Logan! But I'm done. Goodbye Logan." Rory snapped going into their dorm.

"Rory wait!" Logan pleaded trying to go after her but Charlotte blocked his way.

"I wouldn't if I were you." She warned.

"Charlotte..." He tried.

"Don't! I gave you the benefit of the doubt. You assured me that you really liked Logan but she was just one of your girls like everyone else!"

"That's not true..." Logan said.

"It was true and I'm warning you now, stay away from my sister or you'll have me to deal with." She said vehemently. "Now get out of my sight." She snapped before going into their dorm herself. She found Rory in there, wiping some tears away. "Are you ok?" She said softly.

"I thought I was over it. But...I really loved him..." Rory sniffed.

"Hey come here..." Charlotte said softly holding her arms out. "He doesn't deserve you, Ror." She said pulling her sister into a hug.

"But what he said was right. I treated Tristan just like Logan has treated me." Rory said quietly.

"But with one slight difference. You felt really bad about what you did. Logan hasn't even apologised, Rory. You could do so much better than him, seriously." Charlotte said softly. "You deserve someone who's going to treat you right."

Rory sniffed and gave her a tremulous smile. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly.

"Hey, what are sisters for eh?" Charlotte smiled just as her cell rang. She pulled it out and looked guiltily at Rory. "It's Jess..." She said.

"Go. Answer it. I'll be fine." Rory smiled at her.

"Really? I can just call him back later..."

"No it's ok. You go talk to him." Rory assured her.

"Ok. How about a movie night later? Take your mind off things. Just you and me." Charlotte said.

Rory smiled softly. "That would be nice. Thanks."

"It's a plan then." Charlotte smiled before pressing accept on her cell and disappearing off into her room.

 **So a bit of a filler episode but I hope you still liked it! Please let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	53. Author's Note - Not a chapter, sorry!

**Hi!**

 **I just wanted to thank everyone for your support so far with this story. I am really enjoying writing so I'm glad you're enjoying reading it. I'd also like to say that if anyone has any suggestions for storylines, I welcome your feedback! Just PM me and I'll be happy to discuss! :)**

 **I'd also just like to take the time to thank kpop381 who has really helped me recently with ideas when I got writer's block for a bit, so thanks kpop381! :)**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this and I promise I will update soon! :)**

 **Thanks,**

 **Eliza**


	54. Chapter 54

**Thank you so much for your support so far! Here's the next chapter and then I might take a break for a day or two after my full on couple of days of writing! :P**

Chapter 52

Lorelai was walking through the courtyard at Yale and then entered the building where her daughters were living and she went and knocked on a door.

"Come in." A voice she didn't recognise said.

She frowned and went inside and saw Doyle on the couch. "Oh hello. I'm sorry, do I have the wrong room?" She said.

"I wouldn't know." He said.

"How delightful to have all of my towels used and then deposited in my hamper with my dry clothes to create a pungent musty combo. Hey, Lorelai." Paris said coming out of her room.

"Paris, good, I have the right room." Lorelai said.

"This is Rory and Charlotte's mother." Paris told Doyle.

"Nice to meet you." Doyle said. "I'm Rory's editor.

"And my lover." Paris said.

"Ok, well, super." Lorelai forced a smile on her face.

"I don't think lover is exactly the correct term, Paris." Doyle said.

"Really? What is the correct term, Doyle?" Paris said.

"At a later time, Paris." Doyle said embarrassed.

"Doyle and I haven't defined the social aspects of our relationship yet." Paris told Lorelai.

"Ah." Lorelai said starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Although we're having sex three or four times a week so apparently the sexual aspects of our relationship are crystal freaking clear." Paris said.

"Paris, I beg you." Doyle said.

"Are Rory and Charlotte here? Because I could wait outside or..." Lorelai said.

"I'm making you uncomfortable." Paris said.

"Yes." Doyle said.

"Her. Not you." Paris said.

"No, I'm fine. You two should be alone." Lorelai said.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be talking about love, or sex, especially since you..."

"Since I...?"

"Don't have any." Paris said hesitantly.

"Ooook! Hey mom, why don't you come into my room while we're waiting for Rory?" Charlotte said coming out of her room.

"Yes please!" Lorelai said quickly following Charlotte into her room.

"Sorry, I thought Paris and Doyle were indisposed." Charlotte said.

"No, no, plenty of disposal going on. So I notice you and Rory told Paris about me and Luke..."

"I'm sorry, we didn't tell her on purpose. It's very difficult to keep anything from Paris. It's very close proximity and I swear she has a dog's ears." Charlotte said guiltily.

"That's fine." Lorelai said.

"We didn't mean to blab."

"I know. But, hey, don't worry about me." She said.

"So you and Luke still haven't talked?" Charlotte asked cautiously.

"No." She sighed. "He came back from the camping trip a week ago and I've still not heard anything."

"You could go and see him..." Charlotte said cautiously.

"I don't want to push him." Lorelai said quietly.

"Or you're just scared to hear what he might say..." She said quietly.

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah maybe." She admitted.

"Mom, you need to talk to him. Make the first move. You're going to go crazy wondering otherwise." Charlotte said softly. "Mom, Luke isn't going to not want to get married. He's waited forever for you. He's not just going to throw that away."

"Maybe..." Lorelai said quietly.

"Ok changing the subject now." Charlotte said.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully.

"This was a good idea, having dinner."

"Yeah it was." Lorelai smiled.

"Well, it is Friday night." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, but Friday night dinner without Ava and Adolf. Lovely." She said.

"It's really not fair calling Grandpa Adolf!" Charlotte said indignantly.

"No, no, that was Grandma."

"Oh."

"Hey, you ready?" Rory asked coming in.

"Ready!" Charlotte smiled as they followed Rory back into the living room.

"We're going." Rory told Paris and Doyle.

Doyle was standing near the fridge eating out of a giant bag of chips. "Rory, are these your chips?" He asked.

"No they're mine." Charlotte said.

"Oh, can I have some?" He asked already crunching on some.

"Knock yourself out, Doyle." Charlotte smirked as they headed towards the door.

"Listen, Lorelai? If you decide that your break up is something that you want to talk about, please let me know." Paris said.

"Ok, Paris." Lorelai forced a smile on his face.

"And let me know before Tuesday, because I'm doing a paper for my Emotional Mental Health class about how women of a certain age cope with loneliness, and I think you'd be a great lead-off antidote." Paris said.

Lorelai glanced at Rory and Charlotte meaningfully.

"You can't take her. She's trained in Krav Maga." Rory told her.

"Damn it." Lorelai said and they left the dorm.

They headed to the canteen and got some food before sitting down at a free table.

"Here's to our very own special Friday night dinner." Charlotte smiled raising her glass.

"Hear, hear." Lorelai said as they clinked glasses. "This stuff looks pretty good."

"It is. So what's going on at home?" Rory said.

"Big grapefruit shortage." Lorelai gasped dramatically. "The hurricanes wiped them out and Taylor is completely freaking out."

"I'm sure." Rory smirked.

"And Patty and Babette are organising Stars Hollow's first botox party." Lorelai said.

"Are you invited?" Charlotte smirked.

"Are you insinuating I should be?"

"So the Hollow's low on grapefruits..." Rory said.

"Yep! And I'm doing costumes for the Stars Hollow Elementary School production of Fiddler on the Roof." Lorelai smiled.

"So, how are you doing?" Rory asked.

"I'm doing fine. How about you?" She said changing the subject.

"I'm doing better." Rory said.

"No more run ins with Logan?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"Luckily no." Rory said.

"Good."

"And how about you?" Lorelai asked Charlotte.

"Good." Charlotte nodded.

"Come on, something must have happened around here. Give me something." Lorelai joked. She saw them exchanging a glance. "What? What is it?"

Rory sighed. "We got an email for dad." She admitted.

"Oh, you did? Huh. When?" Lorelai asked.

"Monday." Rory said.

"Wow, only a week after the fact. Very speedy." She said sarcastically.

"I'm sure he was just nervous." Rory said quietly.

Charlotte snorted. "Not likely."

"Charlotte..." Rory said.

"What? It was just the same old excuse." Charlotte said. "I deleted it." She told her mom.

"He said it was all a misunderstanding." Rory said.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"He said the only reason he came was to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa's vow renewal." Rory told her.

"And because Adolf told him to." Lorelai said.

"He came to break mom and Luke up." Charlotte said. "How are you even defending him? You heard what he said to Luke!" She said to Rory.

"I'm not defending him. I'm just saying what he said in his email."

"Ok, let's not argue. Let's change the subject." Lorelai sighed.

"Do you think Grandpa knew about it?" Rory asked quietly.

"About Christopher coming?" Lorelai said.

"Do you think he planned it with Grandma?" Rory asked.

"Look how panicked you are. No, honey, honestly, the whole thing reeks of Emily." Lorelai assured her. "I mean, not that I think he would have discouraged i, but I'm pretty sure she's the one who poisoned the apple and gave it to Dopey to bring to the party. He probably didn't even know Chris was coming."

"Yeah." Rory said feeling a bit better.

Later that evening, the three of them were walking through the courtyard eating ice cream.

"You are so not starving here at Yale." Lorelai said.

"My lips are frozen." Rory said.

"Look, while it might seem a little eccentric to eat ice cream in forty degree weather..." Lorelai said.

"You'd think!" Rory said.

"There are several advantages to the concept. For example, since it's cold out, the ice cream won't melt therefore it'll last longer." She said.

"Good logic." Charlotte nodded.

"So then my lips will stay frozen for double the amount of time." Rory said.

"Ok fine, I've lost the feeling in my tongue!" Lorelai relented.

"I'm throwing the ice cream out now." Rory smirked.

"Oh hey look, it's Tristan!" Lorelai said gesturing over to the coffee cart. "Tristan, hey!" She smiled.

"Oh. Hey." Tristan smiled at them. "Rory.." He nodded.

"Hi." She smiled quietly at him.

"Any of you want some coffee?" He offered.

"Yes please!" Charlotte grinned.

"I never say no to coffee!" Lorelai joked.

"Ok two coffees. Rory?" He asked.

"Oh..uh..yeah thanks." She said. "I can pay..." She said getting her purse out.

"Don't be silly. It's on me." He smiled giving the man the order and paying for them. "Here." He smiled as he then handed them their coffees.

"Thanks!" Charlotte grinned happily sipping the hot drink.

"Alright, girls. Thank you for dinner." Lorelai smiled.

"You're leaving?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, I should get back." Lorelai nodded.

"Ok. You can come in and watch T.V. for a while if you want. Jess is coming to meet Charlotte so I've got no one to keep me company as Paris is going to Doyle's." Rory said.

"Jess is coming?" Lorelai asked Charlotte.

"Yeah apparently he wants to talk to me about something." She shrugged.

"Oh ok." Lorelai said.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Rory asked. "We could watch a film or something."

"Sorry hon, I really should get back." She said. "Hey why don't you ask Tristan?" She suddenly said.

"What?" Rory said.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Lorelai asked Tristan.

"Oh..uh..no..." Tristan said surprised.

"There you go then." Lorelai smiled.

"Mom..." Rory said feeling awkward.

"It's ok, don't worry." Tristan assured her.

"Hey it was you who said you wanted company." Lorelai shrugged.

Rory glanced at Tristan. "I was just going to watch a film. You're..uh..you're welcome to join me if you like."

"And Jess and I will probably join after a while so it won't be too awkward." Charlotte teased.

Tristan chuckled. "Sure, why not then." He smiled.

"Great! Well thanks again for dinner. See you girls soon." Lorelai smiled giving them both hugs.

"Bye mom!" Charlotte smiled.

"Bye." Rory smiled.

"Right let's go then!" Charlotte smiled at Rory and Tristan, walking off towards their dorm.

Rory glanced at Tristan. "You don't have to come. I'm sorry my mom sort of pushed you into it." She said awkwardly.

"It's fine. It'll be fun." Tristan smiled. "Unless you'd rather I didn't come..."

"Oh no...I didn't mean that..." Rory said.

"Ok then." Tristan smirked.

"Ok." Rory said smirking slightly.

* * *

Charlotte was sat in her room with Jess. "So this job...it would mean you having to move to Philadelphia?" She said quietly.

"Yeah." Jess said glancing at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Do you want to go?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"I..uh..I...yeah, it would be a really good opportunity." Jess admitted. "It's what I've always wanted to do."

Charlotte smiled softly. "Then you should go for it."

"Really?" He asked looking up at her.

"I want you to be happy and if this is going to make you happy, then I want you to take it." She smiled softly.

"That's what Lane said." Jess admitted. "I'm sorry I told her before you but I needed to tell her because of the band because if it was going to be a problem, I wasn't going to go and there would be no need for me to tell you about it anyway because I wouldn't be going." He rambled.

Charlotte smirked slightly. "It's ok. I understand." She assured him.

"Yeah? Ok. Good." Jess said relieved.

"So Lane told you to go for it as well?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. She said it was too good to turn it down and she said I could always rejoin the band whenever I was back." He smiled.

"Well that's good then." She smiled.

"Yeah." Jess said quietly. He glanced up at her. "I'm going to miss you though."

Charlotte sighed. "I'm going to miss you too." She said softly. "But we'll be fine. You can still come and visit and I could even visit you. We will still see each other." She smiled.

He smiled. "Yeah, we will. I'll make sure we do."

"Well then that's decided then. You're going." She said.

"I guess so." He said. "So we should probably go back out there..."

"Or we could just stay in here and leave them to it." Charlotte smirked.

"Why do I have a feeling you're plotting something?" Jess smirked.

"Well it won't do them any harm to spend some time together." Charlotte grinned.

"I knew it." Jess chuckled.

"Anyway, I only have a small amount of time left with my boyfriend before he goes away for this amazing job. I want to make the most of it." She smirked.

"Oh yeah?" He smirked.

"Yeah." Charlotte grinned and she leaned over and kissed him.

"Ok I agree. Leave them to it." Jess smirked as he lay back on the bed and pulled Charlotte down on top of her causing her to laugh.

Meanwhile, Rory and Tristan were sat on the couch watching a movie. Rory glanced over at her sister's door and then at Tristan who was eating some of the snacks she'd put out for them. "Who bets they're going to leave us out here alone just to wind us up?" She said.

Tristan chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past them." He said.

"Like this isn't awkward enough." Rory laughed nervously.

Tristan smirked. "Well I'm happy fun." He shrugged. "Beats a night in studying."

"You? Studying?" Rory said smirking slightly.

"Hey I study!" He said indignantly.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Ok well I study for ten minutes and then play video games!" Tristan smirked.

Rory laughed. "I knew it."

"Well this is still more fun." He smiled, glancing over at her.

Rory glanced over at him and felt a blush on her cheeks. "Yeah. It is." She said quietly, giving him a small smile.

* * *

The following evening, Lorelai was fixing a costume backstage at the Stars Hollow Elementary School's production of Fiddler on the Roof. "Hold still, hold still." She said. "Looks good. There you go. Now, no more bottle butting till the show's over." She joked.

Meanwhile, Luke brought out a chair and gave it to a child. "Here you go, Paulie. Sneak that out there when they start dancing." He said. He groaned when he saw Carrie approaching him. She stood next to him and pinched hit butt. "I've got a hammer." He threatened.

"Oh, I know you do." Carrie flirted before walking away.

Luke shook his head and turned to watch the production for a bit. He slowly glanced over at Lorelai who was doing the same. He urges himself to say something but then Lulu came rushing up to them.

"I need that schwanza." She said urgently.

"Oh, I've got it. I've got it." Lorelai said.

"Sarah! Where did Sarah go?" Lulu panicked.

"Relax, we'll find her." Lorelai said glancing at Luke before rushing off with Lulu.

Later on, the play was still going on. Kirk was onstage with his "wife" and they were doing the final song.

 _Do you love me?_

 _Do I what?_

 _Do you love me?_

 _Do I love you? With our daughters getting married, and the trouble in the town, you're upset, you're worn out, go inside, go lie down! Maybe it's indigestion._

 _Golde, I'm asking you a question._

Backstage, Luke was putting the finishing touches on a cart and Lorelai had just finished repairing a costume.

"Ok, go." Luke told the kid.

They both then took a moment to watch the duet.

 _Do you love me?_

 _I'm your wife!_

 _I know! But do you love me?_

 _Do I love him? For twenty-five years I've lived with him, fought with him, starved with him. Twenty-five years my bed is his. If that's not love, what is?_

Backstage, Lorelai could feel the tears in her eyes as she watched the duet. She glanced over at Luke who glanced over at her at the same time, causing both of them to look away again quickly.

 _Then you love me?_

 _I suppose I do._

 _And I suppose I love you too._

 _It doesn't change a thing, but even so, after twenty-five years, it's nice to know._

The song ended and everyone in the audience applauded. Lorelai joined in with the applause. She glanced over at Luke and he did the same. They slowly turned towards each other. This time, Lorelai found herself about to say something but then the children rushed through, right between Luke and Lorelai, and the moment is ruined. Lorelai watched sadly as Luke walked off slowly. She sighed, blinking back some tears but then she remembered what Charlotte had said to her and she suddenly found herself rushing after Luke in the direction he had gone. She saw him walking down the corridor towards the exit.

"Luke!" She called.

Luke stopped and turned round to see Lorelai rushing down after him. "Hey." He said gruffly.

"Hey." Lorelai said quietly. She felt tears in her eyes. "Can we talk?" She asked nervously. "Please?"

Luke looked at her for a moment before rubbing his hand through his hair and nodding. "Coffee?" He said.

Lorelai let out a breath and gave him a small smile. "Coffee would be good." She said softly.

He nodded, giving her a small smile and then they left together, heading towards the diner.

 **I have to leave it so you're wanting a bit more, sorry guys! :P Please keep reviewing as I love reading your comments and they really do motivate me to keep going so thank you! :)**


	55. Chapter 55

**Thank you so much for you support! :) It really does mean so much to me.**

Chapter 53

Lorelai followed Luke into the diner, who glanced back at her. "Do you want to have the coffee upstairs?" He asked.

"Jess isn't here?" She asked as they headed up to the apartment.

"No, he's round at Lane's. Making the most of being in the band before he leaves." Luke said.

"Leaves?" Lorelai frowned.

"Charlotte didn't tell you?" He asked surprised.

"No. I saw her yesterday but she didn't say anything." Lorelai said still confused, sitting down at the table in the apartment while Luke stood by the table, leaning against his kitchen counter.

"Oh right, Jess was going over to talk to her about it so she probably didn't know when she saw you." Luke said.

"What's going on? Jess is leaving?" She asked.

"He wrote a book." Luke said not being able to hide the proud smile that appeared on his face.

"A book? Wow!" Lorelai said. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah. Apparently he's been writing it for months now. I had no idea. But he's managed to find an editor and publisher for it." Luke told her. "And this publishing company's actually offered him a job."

"Wow, that's great! Good for him!" She smiled, pleased for Jess. "So he's moving? Where is the publishing company?"

"Philadelphia." Luke said, his smile fading slightly.

"Oh..wow. That's far." She said, glancing at him.

"Yeah." Luke sighed. "He's been worried about it. Taking the job, I mean."

"Why? Because of Charlotte?" Lorelai guessed.

"Surprisingly, not as worried about her. He said they were strong and they'd be fine." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled slightly. "Yeah I'm sure they will be."

"He was more worried about letting Lane down with the band and stuff but apparently she's been really nice about it." He said.

"So he's going?" She asked.

"He's going." Luke nodded. "Decided this morning. He goes on Saturday."

"Wow, that's going to be weird for you huh? Him not being around." Lorelai said quietly, glancing over at him.

"I guess, yeah." He said gruffly. "But he deserves this. He's worked hard and he's finally getting good opportunities out of it. I'm happy for him."

"Yeah he does deserve it." Lorelai smiled.

"And anyway, I've been doing some thinking myself." Luke said slowly, glancing at her.

Lorelai sat up a bit straighter. "Yeah?" She said nervously.

"Yeah, I was thinking it might be time for me to move." He said cautiously.

"Move?" Lorelai said shocked, feeling a pit of dread in her stomach.

"Yeah, I've been thinking when Jess comes back to visit, he'll want his own place to work while he's here. He'll hardly want me walking around noisily, distracting him." Luke said.

"So where were you thinking of moving?" Lorelai asked quietly, trying to keep her emotions in check about Luke possibly not living in Stars Hollow anymore.

"Well..." He said nervously, glancing at her. "I was hoping my fiance might have some ideas..."

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"Well...married couples tend to live together when they get married." Luke said cautiously.

Lorelai felt tears fill her eyes. "You still want to marry me?" She said breathlessly.

"I've never not wanted to marry you." He said honestly.

"But I thought...with Chris..." Lorelai said hesitantly.

He tensed slightly at the name but sighed. "I'm never going to be ok with Christopher being in your life but I know he has to be. For Charlotte's and Rory's sakes. But I'm not going to let him ruin the best thing that's ever happened to me." He said.

Lorelai wiped a few tears that fell down her face. "Thank you." She said tremulously.

"I love you. And nothing anyone says or does is going to change that." He said softly.

"I love you too. So much." Lorelai said getting up and hugging him. "And Chris isn't going to be in my life anymore. He might be in Rory and Charlotte's but not in mine. I'm moving forward. With you." She said.

"I've missed you." Luke admitted.

"I've missed you too." She said with tears in her eyes, leaning in to give him a kiss. She pulled away after a moment and looked at him. "You really want to move in?" She asked softly.

"If that's what you want." He nodded.

"Don't you think it's too fast?" She asked nervously. "With what just happened, just jumping into something like this."

"I was thinking about it before everything anyway." He shrugged. "We're engaged. In my opinion, we've waited too long as it is."

Lorelai smiled. "Then I'd really like it." She said softly.

Luke smiled. "Good." He said softly. "That's good." He said, leaning in to kiss her again. "So Jess is going to be back soon so this flat won't exactly be empty..." He said.

"Would you like to come over to mine?" She smirked.

"I thought you'd never ask." He smirked.

* * *

The following morning after she had seen Luke off who had to get to the diner, she picked up her mail and started sorting through it. She shook her head before picking up the phone and dialling a number.

"Hello?" Rory answered.

"Yeah, we've got to talk mail." Lorelai said.

"Not again." Rory sighed.

"It's all for you and Charlotte! Every piece. How can that be? You only half live here!" She exclaimed.

"This mail envy of yours is not pretty." Rory said.

"Catalogues, business solicitations, credit card offers, oh! And for me, some more stupid Greenpeace return address labels." She said.

"Well, you are the environmental philanthropist in the family." Rory smirked.

"Well, I feel very badly for the planet right now." Lorelai grumbled.

"Hey, you called my cell." Rory said suddenly.

"I know."

"Well, I told you to call my land line. My cell phone bill is astronomical." Rory said.

"But a conversation with me, priceless!" She grinned, continuing to sort through the mail, holding up a postcard. "Oh joy." She said sarcastically.

"What?"

"Well, I did get a piece of mail. The temple of Apollo." Lorelai said.

"Grandma still hitting you with the postcards, huh?" Rory said.

"As if nothing even remotely unpleasant happened between us. How does she do that? Compartmentalise like that? It's weird. She's the serial killer who goes to work and talks about a funny Seinfeld he saw and then goes home and cooks himself a man-flesh sandwich." Lorelai exclaimed.

"Ew." Rory grimaced.

"Let's see how her trip has been since the last card." She said. "Dear Lorelai, kicked a dog then punched a gypsy in the groin. Oh, that's nice." She said dryly.

"Mom..."

"Complained about the foie gras to a waiter whose yearly pay is less than I spend monthly on silver polish, then kicked another dog." She continued.

"Come on."

"Tripped a nun, then burned down an orphanage."

"Sounds like a busy itinerary." Rory said.

"And the sun sets on Apollo." Lorelai said ripping the postcard in half.

"At least you don't get the nothing said all about it reminders about Friday night dinner." Rory said.

"She's putting her hooks in you both, huh?"

"Yeah, three cards in a row, reminding Charlotte and me in no uncertain terms that they'll see us soon." Rory sighed. "Charlotte's annoyed because it coincides with Jess' last night before leaving to go to Philadelphia."

"Urgh, poor Charlotte." Lorelai said sympathetically. "Well at least she's smart enough not to do that to me."

"Well, we're mad at her too, you know. Just for the record." Rory told her.

"I know." Lorelai said.

"And I am mad at dad, too. I know it didn't seem like it when you came here and we were talking about the email." Rory said.

"Rory, I don't want you to fight with your dad..." Lorelai said softly.

"I know but what he did really sucked. What he said to Luke. I hate that he did that to you too." She said quietly. "So I am mad at him." She said firmly.

Lorelai had to smile at her daughter's stubborn tone. "Ok." She said.

"Anything else?" Rory asked.

"Well actually, talking about Luke..." Lorelai said smiling giddily thinking about the night before.

"Oh my god, have you talked? Are you and Luke back together?" Rory said excitedly.

"Well..." Lorelai said.

"Oh hang on!" Rory said. Lorelai heard Rory say something to someone. "Ok mom, Charlotte's here, you're on speakerphone. Now talk!"

"Are you and Luke back together?" Charlotte's voice came on the line.

"Yeah. We are." Lorelai smiled at the excitement in her daughters' voices. "We talked yesterday after the Fiddler of the Roof production and yeah, we're back together."

"Aw mom, we're so happy for you!" Charlotte squealed excitedly.

"There is something I need to talk to you about though." Lorelai said biting her lip nervously.

"Shoot." Rory said.

"Well when Luke and I were talking, we might have discussed the possibility of him moving in." She admitted.

"Into our house?" Charlotte asked.

"What would you two think about that?" Lorelai asked nervously.

"Well I think we'd think about time." Rory laughed.

"Really?" Lorelai said letting out a breath or relief.

"Mom, you're getting married. Wait, you are still getting married right?" Charlotte said.

"Yes we are." Lorelai smiled.

"Well then it makes sense for Luke to move in." She said. "And with Jess moving, it would mean Luke not having to be at the diner alone."

"Talking about Jess, how are you feeling about that?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm ok. I'm sad I won't get to see him as much but we'll talk lots on the phone and we'll visit each other. I'm happy for him." Charlotte said.

"Well that's very mature of you." Lorelai smiled.

"He deserves this. I'm glad he gets to prove to the world how amazing he is." Charlotte smiled.

"So I'll see you late on Friday?" She asked them both.

"You'll see me." Rory nodded.

"Yeah I think I might go to see Jess after the dinner." Charlotte said. "Is that ok?"

"Of course. So I'll see you Friday, Rory, and you Saturday." She smiled.

"Yep! Bye mom." Rory said.

"Yeah bye mom! And say hi to Luke from us!" Charlotte smiled.

"I will. Bye girls." Lorelai smiled, hanging up.

* * *

The following morning, Rory was placing her order the coffee cart in the Yale courtyard, while looking thorugh her purse. "Hi. I'd like a large caramel macchiato with an extra shot and whip cream, please." She smiled at the coffee guy.

"Coming up." He said.

"Wait, hold on. How much is that?" She asked.

"Four eighty-five."

"Ok, better drop the extra shot. What does that make it?" She asked.

"Four twenty." He said.

"Better make it a small. What does that make it?"

"Three thirty."

"Better drop the whip cream. What does that make it?"

"Less calories." He said.

She sighed. "Just a plain old small coffee, please." She said turning round and immediately dropping her change all over the ground. "Oh shoot." She said crouching down to pick them up.

"This would definitely qualify as a cute meet if we hadn't already met." A voice said crouching down next to her.

"Tristan. Hi." Rory said blushing slightly. "This is embarrassing."

"Are we going after the rollers? A couple of them are headed into the bushes." Tristan smirked.

"No, I think I've supplied people with a sufficient amount of silly images of me for one day." She said.

"Small coffee for me, and put the lady's on my tab too." Tristan smiled at the coffee guy.

"Oh no, Tristan, you don't have to do that." Rory said.

"I can't take a chance of you pulling out that purse again. Someone might get hurt." Tristan smirked paying for the coffee.

"Well, thank you." Rory said giving him a small smile.

"So I stopped by the paper the other day to see you." He said.

"You're coming back to the paper?" She asked happily. Tristan had left it after they broke up seeing as Logan was on it and it would have been awkward.

"I kind of missed it." He admitted. "Is it ok if I come back to it?" He asked hesitantly.

"What? Yes of course! You don't need to ask." Rory smiled.

"Well good then." He smiled. "Anyway, I stopped by but then I tried to sneak out when I realised you weren't there. But our omnipresent editor cornered me. Does Doyle ever leave that place?"

"Unfortunately yes, otherwise I would be denied the regular pleasure of seeing him in Property of Alcatraz pyjama pants." Rory smirked.

"Thanks for the image." He chuckled. "Which way you heading?" He asked.

"That way." Rory said pointing towards the building.

"Me too." He said, walking with her. "So I had fun the other night..."

"Oh..yeah, me too." Rory said, giving him a small smile.

"Maybe we could do it again some time?" He asked hesitantly.

"Oh..uh.." Rory said taken by surprised.

"You don't have to. Sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot." Tristan said, ducking his head.

"No you didn't. Uh..that would be nice." She said giving him a small smile.

"Ok. Cool. So I guess I'll see you around then." He said.

"Yeah. See you around." Rory smiled.

"Bye Mary." Tristan said giving her his trademark smirk, before walking off, leaving Rory smiling after him.

* * *

"Mom?" Rory called letting herself into the house that evening.

"In the kitchen!" Lorelai called.

"Hey!" Rory said coming in. "I wanted to get a load of my clothes going before I go to Grandma's."

"Sure." She said. "Charlotte not with you?"

"She's gone round to see Jess while I do this and then we're going to drive together." Rory said.

"Good idea." Lorelai smiled, watching Rory go out the back door before coming back in quickly.

"You're using it!" Rory exclaimed.

"Yes, I know." Lorelai grinned.

"Well, I had dibs!"

"No, you didn't call dibs."

"I'm a college student coming home on Spring Break. That implies dibs on the washer and dryer!" She said.

"There's no implied dibs in dibs. If you don't call it, you don't get it." Lorelai said, watching Rory go back outside.

"Well, this is just wrong!" Rory called from outside.

"What?"

"You're washing two socks!" She exclaimed coming back in.

"Well, they were dirty."

"That's wasteful."

"I really wanted to wear them tonight." Lorelai said.

"They are your dancing Santa Claus socks. You're not going to wear those for another ten months!"

"No, I can wear them eccentrically any time I want!"

"Well, then you're going to have to put one of my loads in while I'm gone." Rory gave up.

"And risk a hernia?" She joked.

"I'll never finish otherwise!"

"I'll do two loads. How's that?"

"Thank you. Alright, I've got to take off." She said.

"Ok. Drive safe, and you've got gas, right?"

"Yeah, I've got gas."

"Ok. Enough gas to get to Hartford?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Oh, well, because I've got a twenty...ah ha! A twenty! On the fridge, here!" Lorelai said taking it off. "I'm not going to use it. You should use it for gas."

"Is it that obvious I'm broke?" Rory said.

"Well, you mentioned the minutes on your cell phone, a hint of panic in your voice and now the months of saved up laundry." Lorelai pointed out. "And here, give this one to my other daughter." She said handing her another twenty.

"Well there are just no good jobs at Yale right now and I'd take anything. Trust me." Rory sighed.

"Well, I took the liberty of asking around town for you. Made you sound all pathetic and ragged. And there are a few temporary things you could take. You are very in demand in Stars Hollow." Lorelai said.

"Like what?"

"Well, the radio station needs someone to drive up the hill a couple of times a day and shoo the cows away from the transmitter."

"I'm not good with livestock."

"Well, the road crew needs a part-time 'Slow Down' sign holder-upper. You get to wear a helmet." Lorelai grinned.

"I don't think so."

"I saved the best for last. Obviously Jess is leaving so Andrew needs help doing inventory at the bookstore. I think that's probably your best bet." She said.

"That sounds great actually." Rory said.

"Cool, just give him a ring." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks." She said. "Right, now I just need to borrow some clothes to wear to Grandma's."

"You're in clothes."

"Well, she'll insist I take my jacket off and I'm down to my 'Give Bush a Wedgie' t-shirt." Rory said.

Lorelai gasped excitedly. "Please wear that to Grandma's!"

"I'm going to borrow some clothes."

"There's another twenty in it for you!" Lorelai said.

"Start one of my loads." Rory said heading upstairs.

"Forty if you snap a picture of her seeing it!"

"Finish your socks!" She called down.

* * *

"We could just turn round. Bail on her." Charlotte said as her and Rory stood outside their grandparents' house.

Rory sighed. "I know you'd rather be with Jess right now and trust me, I'd rather be anywhere else but here but we made a promise and we don't break promises." She said.

"But it's alright for others to break promises." Charlotte mumbled.

"Look, as much as we hate what Grandma did, none of this was down to Grandpa was it? We can't bail on him. It wouldn't be fair." She said.

"I guess so." Charlotte sighed.

"Plus we know something that Grandma doesn't." Rory said.

"What?"

"Mom and Luke are back together."

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Yeah."

"Ok, so let's just go in there, eat and then we can leave." Rory said. "Deal?"

"Deal?" Charlotte sighed, ringing the doorbell.

"Rory, Charlotte hello! Come in!" Emily answered the door cheerfully.

"Hi, Grandma." Rory smiled tightly.

"Oh we've missed you!" Emily said dramatically, hugging them both but not getting hugs back.

"It's only been a few weeks, Grandma." Charlotte said stiffly.

"Give your coats to Eliza." She carried on, not noticing their tone of voices. "That's an interesting outfit you have on." She smiled at Rory.

"Laundry day." Rory said.

"Laundry day. Everything young people do sounds like fun to me!"

"No, it's pretty dreary." Rory said.

"Well, come in!" She beamed at them, leading them through to the living room. "Richard, the girls are here. Hurry down and don't forget to bring the you-know-whats!" She called up the stairs. "Forget you heard that." She told them.

"Consider it forgotten." Charlotte said.

"Our trip was wonderful. We have so much to tell you." Emily said enthusiastically.

"Good." Rory said sitting down next to Charlotte.

"We'll have to wait until next week to show you pictures. Richard bought this new digital camera that's supposed to be so simple a child can use it. So now we need to find a child who'll show us how." She said laughing but barely getting a smile from either girls. "Are you two feeling ok?" She asked them both, finally noticing they weren't exactly themselves.

"I'm feeling fine." Rory said.

"Me too." Charlotte said.

"Ok, so did you go to Athens on that first big European trip of yours?" She asked them.

"Uh yeah." Rory nodded.

"I hope you saw the National Archaeological museum. I thought of you there the whole time. The room with the Mask of Agamemnon?" Emily said.

"Yep, we hit that." Rory said.

"Interesting, huh?" She said.

"Yep." Charlotte nodded.

Just then Richard came down the stairs. "Charlotte! Rory!" He smiled.

"Grandpa! Welcome home!" Rory smiled getting up and giving him a hug.

"It's so good to see you! We've missed you!" Charlotte grinned, giving him a hug as well, leaving to watch them frowning slightly.

"Well, thank you! We've missed you too! Look at this outfit! I like the colours." He smiled at Rory.

"Thanks! It's borrowed." Rory smiled.

"So we've got quite a bit to catch up on." He said, sitting down on the couch next to his granddaughters.

"We know, we want to hear all about it!" Charlotte nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm sure your grandmother has caught you up somewhat." Richard said.

"I started to." Emily smiled tightly.

"And with the dozens of postcards she sent, you probably remember the trip better than I do." Richard chuckled.

"We still want to hear your account." Rory smiled.

"Have them open the gifts, Richard." Emily said.

"Oh, yes. Please. Open them!" Richard smiled handing the gifts over.

Charlotte and Rory pulled out the same antique book. "Oh my god, it's amazing!" Rory said enthusiastically.

"Pretty cool!" Charlotte nodded.

"Leaves of Grass in Greek. A hundred years old, some beautiful engravings." Richard said.

"Now we have to learn Greek." Charlotte quipped.

"Feel the leather." Emily said.

"Grandpa, thank you so much!" Rory smiled at her grandfather.

"Yeah it's really cool, thanks!" Charlotte smiled.

"Well, you can thank your grandmother. She helped pick it out." Richard said.

"Thank you, Grandma." Rory said not even looking up.

"Yeah thanks." Charlotte said just as unenthusiastically.

"Dinner is served, Mrs. Gilmore." The maid said coming in.

"Thank you Eliza." Emily said. "You can flip through those a little later."

"Ok." Rory said as she and Charlotte put the books away. They then deliberately linked arms with Richard as they headed through to the dining room. "So, Grandpa, is it true that every restaurant in the Placa has a view of the Acropolis?" Rory asked.

"Well, they like to think so. But we found this charming little taverna, Dionysus. The view was spectacular and the Ouzo certainly lived up to its name." He told them.

* * *

A while later, Charlotte, Rory, Richard and Emily were tucking into their dessert of their dinner.

"So, where are all of your Yale friends for Spring Break?" Emily asked trying to start some conversation.

"Oh, here and there." Rory said.

"Did your friend Paris make interesting plans?" She asked.

"Not really." Rory said.

"What about that friend of yours? Marty, is it?" Emily asked Charlotte.

"Not sure." Charlotte shrugged.

"And how's the shortcake?" She asked.

"It's fine, thanks." Rory nodded.

"Yeah it's good." Charlotte said

"I know this seems a bit basic but Eliza found the first decent strawberries of the year. I'm so mad at California." Emily said.

"Well, you'd think that rain would be good for crops. It's counter-intuitive." Richard chuckled.

"Anyway, these strawberries are wonderful. Could you pass them to me, Rory?" She asked. Rory did without looking up at her. "Can you pass the cream, Charlotte?" She then asked but frowned when Charlotte did exactly the same. She looked up at Richard for help.

"So, girls...is everything all right with you both this evening?" He asked.

"We're fine, Grandpa." Rory smiled up at him.

He looked helplessly at Emily but she gestured for him to keep going. "You'd tell us if anything was bothering you."

"It's nothing." Charlotte told him.

"Seems as though there might be something on your mind." He said.

"Not really." Rory said.

"Alright." He said.

"So, Grandpa, you hardly told us anything about your trip! How was the Archaeological museum?" Rory smiled at him.

"Oh yeah, was it amazing?" Charlotte smiled.

"Oh, now, that's it!" Emily exclaimed.

"Emily..." Richard warned.

"What is wrong with you both?" She demanded.

"Nothing." Rory frowned.

"I asked you about that museum earlier and all you did was mumble something about hitting it!" She said.

"We should have been more expansive. I'm sorry." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"You've been pushing me away all evening!"

"Emily, please." Richard said.

"You asked your grandfather question after question and make polite chit-chat about the duck with the maid, what's her name, tell her it's wonderful..." Emily said annoyed.

"Because she made it! And her name is Eliza!" Charlotte frowned.

"I told her to make it! You're enjoying duck because I requested duck!" Emily exclaimed.

"Well, it was a great duck, Grandma! Kudos on the duck!" Rory said.

"This isn't you, this attitude of yours. This is your mother." She said.

Rory saw her sister's head whip up and could see her eyes glaring. "Don't bring up Mom." Charlotte said vehemently.

"Look, all of you. Let's try to calm down." Richard tried.

"Why are you acting this way?" Emily demanded.

"Your memory can't be that short, Grandma!" Charlotte exclaimed finally letting her annoyance out.

"What does that mean?"

"Do we really have to get into this?" Charlotte scowled.

"You should both walk out that door and come in again. Start all over." Emily said imperiously.

"They don't need to do that, Emily." Richard said.

"We have a contract!" Emily frowned.

"A contract!" Charlotte snorted.

"We pay for Yale. You both come to dinner every Friday night and you act pleasantly and decently." She said.

"You're right, Grandma. We do have a contract." Rory intervened, seeing that Charlotte was about to explode. "But it's to come to dinner. Period. There's no agreement on how vivacious or bubbly we have to be."

"You need to act like you!" Emily exclaimed.

"We are!" Rory said.

"This isn't you!" Emily said.

"Look, Grandma, you know what you did." Charlotte said, not being able to take it anymore, getting up and crossing her arms against her chest.

"Charlie..." Rory said softly, getting up too, trying to calm her down.

"Girls, please sit down." Richard said.

"I mean, what did you expect?" Charlotte exclaimed angrily. "Ten Acropolis postcards and we forget the fact that you broke up Mom and Luke?" She exclaimed, deliberately leaving out the fact that they were back together. "Now, we respect our contract. And we will continue to come every Friday night and eat dinner with you. But I, personally, won't guarantee an attitude that will please you. Excuse me." She said going to leave.

"You are certainly not excused, we're not through." Emily exclaimed.

"We have had dessert, we'll skip the port." Charlotte said sarcastically. "Now tonight's the last night before my boyfriend leaves to work in Philadelphia and I won't see him for a long time so I'm sorry but I'd rather spend the evening with him than here arguing with you." She said. "Goodnight." She said before walking off.

"Rory..." Richard said.

"Everything Charlotte said was right." She sighed. "Goodnight, Grandpa. We'll see you in a week." She said before leaving after Charlotte, leaving Emily and Richard looking at each other shocked.

* * *

Rory drove into the driveway of the Crap Shack after dropping Charlotte off at the diner to see Jess. "Hey." She sighed as she entered the house and found her mom and Luke on the couch.

"Oh hey!" Lorelai said. "How was dinner?" She asked.

"Loud." Rory sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"Meaning?"

"There was yelling."

"Why, what happened?" Lorelai asked.

"We just got so mad. She was acting like nothing was wrong. Like it was totally normal that you weren't there. And we couldn't take it." She said glancing over at Luke. "Sorry you probably don't want to hear about this..."

"It's ok." He assured her.

"We left during shortcake." Rory told her mom.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hey, Grandma did this. You didn't."

I know. I just hate that you're both fighting with them." Lorelai sighed.

"Don't worry about it." She sighed. "So long as you two are good." She smiled.

"We're good." Lorelai smiled. "Right?" She said to Luke.

"Right." Luke smiled at her.

"Good." Rory smiled. "I'm just going to grab a drink." She said getting up and going into the kitchen.

"So I was thinking...there's probably one person who we should thank for our reconciliation." Luke said.

"Yeah? Who's that then?" Lorelai asked.

"Tristan." Luke said unaware that Rory was listening in surprise from the hallway.

"Tristan?" Lorelai asked equally surprised.

"Yeah..well you said he was the one to step in and tell you the truth and I guess he talked some sense on the camping trip we went on." He shrugged. "Figured we should give him some credit."

"I guess you're right." Lorelai smiled. "He's sort of been a surprise to everyone huh?"

"I'll admit I was never a huge fan...but he's a good guy." Luke said honestly.

"Yeah he is." Lorelai smiled, leaning her head onto Luke's shoulder.

Rory, meanwhile, walked back into the kitchen surprised. She hadn't known how big a part Tristan had played exactly in her mom getting back with Luke. She'd known he'd punched her dad and Logan but she didn't know she had told her mom the truth about stuff or had encouraged Luke on the camping trip. She slowly went to get her laundry her mom had done for her and then started packing her bags. She then walked back into the living room. "Hey mom? I think I might pop back to Yale tonight, if that's ok?" She said.

"Yale? Why?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"I..uh..there's just something I need to do there. But I'll be back tomorrow." Rory said.

"Well...ok then. But make sure you are! I want to spend some time with you." Lorelai smiled.

"I will. Thanks mom! Have a nice evening." She smiled. "Bye Luke!" She waved.

"Bye." Luke said watching her leave. "Did we push her out?" He asked Lorelai.

"I don't think so." She frowned. She shrugged. "I'm sure everything's fine." She said. "Come on, let's finish this movie and then head upstairs. I'm assuming Charlotte's staying with Jess tonight so we have full reign of the house now Rory's gone back to Yale." She grinned.

"Sounds good." He smirked.

* * *

"You really shouted at her?" Jess chuckled.

"It's not funny!" Charlotte said playfully hitting him. "I've never shouted at her before. Ever." She groaned sitting down on the couch next to Jess.

"Well I'm sure it's not as bad as you thought." Jess smirked, trying to reassure her.

Charlotte sighed. "No, it really was." She said. She glanced at him. "Anyway, enough bout me, this is your night! What do you want to do?" She asked.

"You really need to ask that?" Jess smirked.

"Jess!" Charlotte laughed, nudging him. "Is there anything else you think about at all other than that?"

"When I'm with you, no." He smirked.

Charlotte shook her head, smirking. "Well, seeing as it's your night." She said getting up holding out her hand. "Your wish is my command."

Jess smirked, taking hold of her hand and leading her over to his bed, pulling her down on top of him, kissing her passionately. "Have I told you how much I'm going to miss you?" He said.

"Many times." Charlotte smiled.

"Well let me show you how much." He said deepening the kiss.

"I'm liking that suggestion." Charlotte smirked, reciprocating the action.

* * *

Rory got back to Yale later that night and she found herself standing outside a door. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door, hoping the occupant was in. Almost everyone was away for Spring Break but luckily the door opened. "Hi..." She said quietly.

"Hi.." Tristan said surprised. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Can I come in?" She asked nervously.

"Sure." He said stepping aside to let her in. "I thought you were home today?"

"I was but Charlotte was with Jess and my mom and Luke were at our house so I didn't want to be the third wheel..." She said.

"Your mom and Luke?" He said. "They worked it out?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah they did. And Luke's moving in. They're strong as they've ever been."

"Good. I'm glad." He smiled.

"I've come here to thank you actually." Rory said nervously.

"Thank me? For what?" Tristan said confused, frowning slightly.

"Seems like you had a hand in their reconciliation." She said.

"What? Oh, no..." He tried to shrug it off.

"Mom said how you made sure she knew the truth and Luke said you talked some sense during that camping trip. I guess I just wanted to say thanks." Rory said shyly. "Mom's happy again and that's down to you." She said.

"I didn't do much..."

"Well then some part of it was down to you. That's good enough for me." She said giving him a small smile. "So thank you."

"Well, you're welcome then." Tristan said.

"And..uh..thanks...for punching Logan." She said nervously.

"You don't need to..." He said.

"I do. Just hear me out please. I need to say this." She said quickly. "I'm so sorry, Tristan. I treated you horribly and I know you deserve someone who doesn't treat you so badly like I did and I know I probably don't deserve a second chance. I was a jerk to you, a real jerk and I'm so sorry." She said feeling tears in her eyes.

"Hey, it's ok." Tristan reassured her. "It's all in the past."

"And that's why you're amazing. Why you're such a good guy and I so don't deserve you being nice to me after everything I put you through..." She said. "But the last few days, talking properly with you again, bantering like we used to, I don't know, it just felt right..." She rambled. "Sorry I'll shut up now because I'm sounding like an idiot..." She said cringing, feeling a blush appear on her cheeks.

"Rory.." Tristan said softly.

"What?" She said quietly.

Tristan slowly leaned her head up so that she was looking at him and then he slowly leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I never stopped loving you." He said softly.

"Tristan..." Rory said softly.

"I don't care what's happened in the past ok? It's in the past and I know you're sorry. What I care about is you and me. And I would like there to be a you and me again...if that's what you'd like..." He said softly.

Rory looked up at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like there to be a you and me. I'd really like that." She smiled softly at him.

"Good." Tristan smiled. "So we're in agreement then?" He smirked.

Rory laughed slightly. "Yeah we're in agreement."

"Good. So stand still so that I can kiss you again, Mary." He smirked before leaning down to kiss her again.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming! I really do appreciate each and every one of your support so thank you so much! :)**


	56. Chapter 56

**Wow I'm totally overwhelmed by your support! I never thought I would reach 300 reviews so thank you so so much! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 54

Charlotte woke up and felt an empty space next to her. She sat up and saw Jess already dressed and in his leather jacket, putting a couple more things into his bag and zipping it up. "Jess?" She said.

"Hey.." He said softly. "Don't get up."

"What do you mean?" Charlotte said.

"I'm all ready and set to go. You don't need to come down with me." He said.

"What? Don't be silly, just let me get my shoes and coat..." Charlotte said getting out of the bed.

"No." Jess said.

"What do you mean no? I want to see you off." She said.

"No." He repeated.

"What?"

"Charlotte, if you come downstairs with me, I won't get into my car. Please." He said gruffly.

Charlotte felt tears well up in her eyes. "Jess, I..." She sniffed.

"I love you." Jess said leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you too." She said tremulously.

"I'll call when I get there ok?" He said.

"Drive safe." She said her voice cracking.

Jess leaned in and kissed her again. "I will." He said gruffly.

"Go be great." Charlotte sniffed.

Jess chuckled slightly. "I'll try." He said, heaving his bag over his shoulder. He gave her one last smile before turning round and walking out of the apartment.

Charlotte stood there for a few moments before suddenly grabbing her coat and putting her shoes on and racing downstairs. She saw Jess putting the bag in his car and then watched him say goodbye to Lane and give her a friendly hug before pulling Luke into a manly hug. She watched him go and get in the car so she rushed out. "Jess!" She said, causing him to turn around.

They looked at each other for a moment before Charlotte launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. Jess held her close caressing her hair as he did. "I thought I told you to stay upstairs." He joked lightly.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't." Charlotte sniffed. "I'm going to miss you so much." She said.

"Back at you." Jess said gruffly. He took a deep breath and pulled away slowly. "I really should get going."

Charlotte nodded. "Ok." She said quietly. "Call me when you get there."

"First thing." He promised.

Charlotte pulled him in for a final kiss and then let him go. She watched as he got in his car. She waved at him as he drove off and watched his car until it disappeared from sight. She felt tears in her eyes again just as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned round to see Luke stood there.

"He'll be back before you know it." He said softly.

"I know." Charlotte sniffed. "God, I feel so stupid! He's only gone to his new job and I'm acting like he's moved to the other end of the world!" She said laughing slightly.

"It's understandable. It's a big deal." Luke assured her.

Charlotte sighed. "I'm happy for him, I really am." She said softly.

"I know you are." He smiled at her.

"I just..." She said sighing. "I'm going to miss him. It will be weird me coming home and him not being here."

"Yeah I know." Luke sighed. "Come on, I'll make you some pancakes." He said softly.

"I knew mom was marrying you for a reason." She teased.

Luke chuckled. "Come on." He said putting his arm round her and they headed inside.

* * *

Lorelai was showing her father around the inn about the insurance after getting a phone call from him the evening before. He had tried to talk to her about Rory and Charlotte's outburst at the dinner but she had politely told him that it was their thing, not hers. She then went on to ask him about insurance at the inn and he offered to come round to have a look.

"Hey Dad, how's it looking?" She asked when he came into the kitchen.

"Why don't you go and check that landing again, Phil?" He told the man he was with. "I'll be up in a moment." He said before turning to Lorelai.

"Well, is it bad, is it good, am I screwed? What do you think?" Lorelai asked.

"Philip and I have thoroughly toured the property and with the exception of one too many garden gnomes, we have found it in top shape." He said.

"Really?" She said pleased.

"Yes. I've also reviewed your policy and while I tip my hat to the criminal genius who convinced you to sign it, I find it appalling." He said.

"I knew the name Sheisty McSheisterson should have tipped me off." She joked.

"You can do better. And I can help." Richard said.

"Don't you tease me, Gilmore." Lorelai joked.

"Oh no, I wouldn't dare." He chuckled.

"So what do we do?" She asked.

"Well, Philip will go over the property again, he'll take some pictures and tomorrow I will put a new policy together for you." He smiled.

"Oh my god, you're my lifesaver." Lorelai smiled relieved.

"Hey, can I make you guys some lunch?" Sookie smiled coming to them.

"No thank you, Sookie." Richard said.

"Come on, Dad. Not even a sandwich?" Lorelai said.

"I'll tell you what. I'll have some coffee if you're offering." Richard smiled.

"We're offering." Lorelai smiled.

"I'll heat up some scones to go with it." Sookie said.

"Oh, no, I don't...uh...I don't want the..." He tried, calling after Sookie.

"Forget it, Dad. You're getting scones." Lorelai smirked.

"My god, this is a bossy place." Richard joked as they headed into the dining room. "You know, I have to say, Lorelai, you've done a wonderful job here." He smiled.

"Thank you, Dad." She said surprised by the praise.

"Well, the restoration. The rooms. The homey feel. And the stables, very smart." He said.

"Yes." She nodded.

"People love horses."

"They turned out to be quite a draw."

Just then a waiter brought in the coffee and scones.

"Oh, my, what is that heavenly smell?" Richard said.

"Scones." Lorelai smiled.

"I have never smelled anything as heavenly as this."

"Wait til you taste them." She smirked.

* * *

Emily stood outside the diner for a moment. She was annoyed that Lorelai was talking to her father but not her. Emily was surprised and a bit jealous when he had told her he was going to the inn this morning. Well she was going to put things right because if Lorelai knew she was the reason Luke got back with her, she would be running back to her to thank her. She took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in. She spotted Luke immediately behind the counter and walked up to it, not noticing Charlotte sat there.

"Hello, Luke." She said sitting down. "When you get a moment, I'd like to have a word with you."

"I'm busy right now." Luke said gruffly. He grabbed a plate of food and placed it infront of Charlotte.

"Grandma, what are you doing here?" Charlotte frowned.

"Charlotte!" She said surprised, not expecting to see her granddaughter there. "I'm here to talk to Luke."

"Why?" She frowned.

"I would just like a word, that's all." Emily said.

"No, Grandma please. Just go back home." Charlotte said feeling a pit of dread in her stomach.

"I came to speak to Luke and I'm not going until I speak to him." She said stiffly.

"Haven't you done enough already?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Charlotte, it's ok." Luke assured her. He turned to Emily. "One minute." He said.

"My daughter and I aren't speaking." She said stiffly. "She won't take my calls, she won't come to dinner. She apparently wants nothing to do with me. I'm sure you know that Lorelai and I have had many battles. Most of them have been because I feel that I know what's best for her. But Lorelai has her own ideas about what she thinks will make her happy. She wants you, Luke. She's made her choice, god help her, but there it is. It doesn't matter if I agree with it, I can't fight it. You've won. Go back to her. I promise I will stay out of it." She said.

"I can't believe you." Charlotte said shaking her head.

"What?" Emily said surprised.

"You think the only reason Mom and Luke would get back together is because you told Luke to go back to her? Don't you think they've got their own minds?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Well guess what, Grandma! They're already back together and it has nothing to do with you!"

"Wait, what?" Emily said shocked, turning back to Luke. "You and Lorelai are back together?"

"We are." He nodded, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Then I don't see what your mother's problem is!" Emily exclaimed.

"Mom's problem?" Charlotte said feeling her blood boiling.

Luke could see this escalating and subtly pulled out his cell and dialled one for Lorelai, knowing she had assigned speed dial to it the evening before.

"If they're back together, why won't your mother come to dinner?" Emily demanded.

Charlotte laughed. "You think because they're back together, everything's ok? You broke them up, Grandma! You deliberately invited dad to your vow renewal because you wanted him to make trouble! And it worked! Mom and Luke broke up and mom was devastated! She thought she had lost the best thing that had ever happened to her! And just because they talked and worked things through, you think we should all be ok with you? Tell you that's alright, it's forgotten. Well it's not like that!"

"I'd like to remind you that I'm still your grandmother and I won't have you speak to me in this disrespectful way." Emily said stiffly.

"Well you earn respect, Grandma." Charlotte snapped angrily.

"Charlotte!" Emily exclaimed.

"No! You expect us to all be ok with this. I can't believe you're actually wondering why this has anything to do with me and Rory! We love Luke, Grandma. And he was humiliated and hurt and that was all down to you and dad. Rory may not want to break her contract but I don't care anymore. You know yesterday when I was having that delightful dinner with you?" She said sarcastically. "I could have been spending the evening with boyfriend who's left this morning to go to Philadelphia for I don't even know how long, but I could have been spending the time with him!" She said feeling tears in her eyes. "Now I'm going to say what I said to dad. You don't respect Luke or Jess and you make that very clear. The meat market Yale alumni party ringing any bells? Well I'm sick of it! Luke is going to be part of this family and Jess and I are not breaking up and for as long as you don't accept that, me and you are done." Charlotte said, trembling. "No more dinners, no nothing! Not until you apologise. And really apologise. Me and you are done!" She said letting out a shaky breath.

"Charlotte..." Lorelai's voice said softly.

Charlotte turned to see her mom stood there, stunned. "I don't care anymore, mom. I've let her get away with too much." She said.

"It's ok." Lorelai said softly coming up and putting a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Mom, what are you doing here?" She said trying to stay calm.

"I wanted to talk to Luke." Emily said quietly, still shocked by Charlotte's outburst.

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry." Lorelai told Luke.

"It's ok." He said.

"Mom, just go home. You have no right to barge in here and cause a scene."

"I don't get why you won't come to dinner." Emily demanded, recovering slightly.

"I think Charlotte did a good job of explaining why." She said. "Luke and I are back together because we wanted to get back together. I just want you to butt out of our lives."

"But..." Emily said.

"Mom! Please hear me. If I want your input in my life in any way, shape or form, I will ask for it. Until then, do us all a favour and shut up!" Lorelai exclaimed angrily.

Emily looked at her daughter stunned and then glanced at her granddaughter who was avoiding her gaze. She got up silently after a moment and turned and walked out the door.

"Well, I gotta say, suddenly a big fan of speed-dial." Luke said, trying to lighten the mood, before disappearing into the kitchen to give them a moment.

"Are you ok?" Lorelai asked softly.

"No." Charlotte sniffed. "I can't believe I said that. I guess...I guess Jess leaving has affected me more than I've let on..."

"Come here." Lorelai said softly pulling her daughter into a hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory and Tristan were walking through Yale's courtyard, hand in hand.

"So do you have to head home?" Tristan asked.

"I promised mom." Rory said. "Plus I think Charlotte might need some sisterly time. Jess left this morning."

"I get it." Tristan said. "Hey, a friend of mine has invited me to this party next week. Would you like to be my plus one?" He smirked.

Rory smiled. "Yeah sure, why not." She said.

"Great! I'll give you the details when you're back. I think it's a fancy dress party." Tristan said.

"My favourite kind." Rory grinned. "So...I'll call you tonight?" She smiled.

"I look forward to it." He smiled. He leant in and gave her a kiss. "Drive safe, Mary."

"I will." She said. "Bye." She smiled giving him another kiss and then walking away with a giddy smile on her face.

* * *

"You really said that to Grandma?" Rory was sat on her bed at home that afternoon while Charlotte was sat on hers.

"Yeah." Charlotte said. "I know what you said about the contract and not breaking promises but I just couldn't take it anymore. I think with Jess leaving, everything that I bottled up about her not liking Jess just bubbled to the surface."

"I get it." Rory said quietly. She sighed. "You know I still have to go to the dinner right?" She said hesitantly. "It's not because I wanted to or that I'm trying to be the peace maker but..."

"You can't break promises, yeah I know." Charlotte said. "I understand. You've always been the more moral one out of the two of us. I get it."

"I don't want you to hate me for it." Rory said.

"I could never hate you." Charlotte smiled softly at her sister. "No one could hate you."

Rory smiled slightly. "I don't care about anyone else. I just don't want you hating me."

"I don't." She smiled.

"God here I am being the pity party and you're the one who's had one hell of a day." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah, wouldn't want to repeat it." She said lying down on her bed.

"Can I tell you something?" Rory said hesitantly.

"So long as it's happy. I don't think I can do with anything else depressing today." Charlotte joked.

"Well it's to do with Tristan..." Rory admitted.

"Ok..." Charlotte said sitting up, smirking slightly, thinking she might know where this was heading.

"Well you know how we've been bumping into each other a lot recently and how we've been talking and not like awkward talking but bantering like we used to do." Rory said.

"Yeah.."

"We might have decided to give us another." She admitted.

"Really?" Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah." Rory said nervous about her sister's reaction.

"Good. I'm happy for you." She smiled at her.

"Really?" Rory asked relieved. "You don't think it's too fast?"

Charlotte shook her head. "You were always meant to be with Tristan, it was obvious. Logan made you act like someone else. Tristan...well he just let you be you and loved you for it." She shrugged.

Rory smiled slightly. "Yeah..I guess you're right." She said softly.

Charlotte smiled at her. "I'm really happy for you. Tristan's a good guy. You deserve happiness." She said softly.

"Thanks Charlie." Rory smiled softly.

"And hey, at least it will make double dates with me and Jess a bit easier!" She joked.

Rory laughed. "Yeah I've heard him and Jess are like best friends now."

"Who'd have thought it, huh?" Charlotte grinned. She then smiled at her sister. "Thanks." She said softly. "That has cheered me up."

Rory smiled just as Charlotte's cell rang. She smirked when she saw her sister literally jump on it. "I'm guessing that's Jess. I'll leave you to it." She said, leaving their room.

Charlotte watched her sister leave and then answered the phone. "Hey big shot. Sold any books yet?" She joked.

"Now that would be a miracle." Jess chuckled.

 **Hope you liked it! Thanks again for all your support! It really does mean so much to me so please keep your reviews coming. I love reading what you think so thank you! :)**


	57. Chapter 57

**Thank you so much for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 55

Lorelai was walking around the inn, giving orders to her staff as she did. She walked into the living room and saw Sookie. "Oh, what a surprise! A plate of cookies on the coffee table to match the basket of cupcakes on the reception desk." She joked.

"What? I always do this." Sookie said.

"Oh, you always do this when a photographer from American Travel magazine is coming to photograph us for..." She smirked.

"One of the Top Ten Inns in Connecticut!" They said in unison, grinning.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sookie grinned.

"You know, I moved the furniture in the bedrooms around four times last night." Lorelai admitted.

"And you ended up?"

"With everything in exactly the same place I started with." She laughed. "Oh, the dining room looks beautiful." She complimented.

"Thank you." Sookie smiled.

"And, what a surprise, a cake on every table."

"So no one has to share!" Sookie said as they walked into the library.

"Ok, floor looks good, table looks good. Hey, what happened to our books?" Lorelai asked.

"What do you mean?"

"All our beautiful, leather-bound books. Jonathon Swift, Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens. A lot of them are gone."

"The guests must have swiped them." Sookie said.

"They swiped Jonathon Swift and left me with Clifford, the Big Red Dog and five copies of He's Just Not That Into You." Lorelai said.

"We've been aeroplane booked." She said.

"Oh, we've got to get them out of here. Hey Eddie?" She said. "Will you get these out of here? Thanks." She said handing him the book. "I'll raid Rory's leftovers tonight before I go out with Luke." She told Sookie.

"Oh yeah, your official back together date with Luke!" Sookie said excitedly. "I would have thought you'd take advantage of not going to dinner with your parents tomorrow that you would do it then."

"Yeah I thought about it but Charlotte's coming back. She's still adamant she's not going to the dinner."

"She's not backing down huh?" Sookie said.

"Nope." Lorelai sighed. "I just don't want her to regret this. I don't like that she's fighting with my parents."

"She has her reasons though. This isn't all about you and Luke right? You said it was about Jess."

"Yeah I guess so." Lorelai said.

"How's she doing without Jess around? It's been nearly a week now."

"I think she's ok. Keeping busy." She said.

"That's good." Sookie smiled.

"I need to head out but remember, Sunday at mine for wedding planning yeah?" Lorelai smiled.

"Oh yeah! I can't believe you're finally choosing a date. It's getting so real now!" Sookie grinned excitedly.

"I know." She smiled softly. "Rory's at a party in Yale on Saturday so she's popping back Sunday so she can join us. And of course, Charlotte will already be here."

"Great!"

"Ok I'll see you later."

"See you later." Sookie smiled.

* * *

"So what are your colleagues like?" Charlotte asked as she lay on her bed in her room at Yale.

"Colleagues?" Jess smirked.

"Well what do you call people you work with?" Charlotte laughed.

"Chris and Matt." Jess smirked. "There's only three of us so it seems a bit formal to call them colleagues. Plus we live together in this flat above Truncheon so..."

"Alright fine!" She said rolling her eyes. "But they're nice right?"

"They're cool, yeah." He nodded.

"That's good." Charlotte smiled.

"So weren't you heading home today?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm going to set off in a bit." She said.

"So you're really not going to your grandparents' dinner huh?"

"Nope."

"Wow." He commented.

"Well Grandma made her bed. Now she has to sit in it." Charlotte said.

"Fair enough." Jess said. "But Rory's going?"

"Yep, she left about half an hour ago." She said. "So you know we're discussing wedding plans on Sunday?"

"Yeah Luke mentioned it when we spoke last." Jess said. "Gutted I can't be there." He smirked sarcastically.

"I can always ring you and put you on speakerphone." Charlotte teased.

"No thanks. Don't find spending hours talking about flower settings and seating plans very appealing." Jess joked.

"But you're the best man! You're very important in the wedding!" She said.

"Not that important. All I do is make sure I don't lose the rings and make a speech, which I'm already dreading by the way."

"Or you could sing them a song." Charlotte teased.

"Think I will stick to the speech." Jess smirked.

"Spoilsport." Charlotte laughed. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I should get going." She told him reluctantly.

"Ok. Say hi to your mom and Luke from me." He said.

"I will. Bye Jess."

"Bye."

* * *

"Mom!" Charlotte called as she got home later that evening.

"Kitchen!" Lorelai called.

Charlotte went through to the kitchen and found her mom sat at the table while Luke was cooking. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey hon! Good journey?" She asked.

"Not bad." Charlotte nodded. "You haven't eaten yet?" She said surprised.

"She wanted to wait for you." Luke said.

"Aw that's sweet!" Charlotte smiled sitting down next to her mom. "So what are we having?"

"Lasagne." Luke said. "With garlic focacia."

"Cool!" She grinned. "Smells great!"

"It does." Lorelai nodded.

"So tell me? Why did Kirk call Rory and me and ask if he could crash at our dorm?" Charlotte asked. "How did he get our numbers?"

"He probably got it off the fridge." Lorelai said.

"And what was he doing near our fridge?" Charlotte asked.

"Ask Luke. It was all his fault." She smirked.

"Hey, all I told him to do was think about getting a place together with Lulu. That's all. I didn't tell him to move out of his mother's house." Luke defended.

"He moved out?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Yes. And decided to fall asleep in Luke's boat. Naked." Lorelai smirked.

"Ew!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"So naturally I had to let him stay for the night."

"Wow, so it really is Luke's fault Kirk has our numbers." Charlotte teased.

"I thought I was offering him some good advice!" Luke grumbled.

"Well next time, hon, remember that it's Kirk you're talking to." Lorelai teased.

"Yeah. Lesson learnt." He said dryly.

* * *

Saturday evening, Rory and Tristan walked into the Quentin Tarantino party. Tristan was wearing a white t-shirt covered in blood and Rory was back in the Chilton uniform, dressed as Gogo Yubari.

"Have I told you how hot you look in your Chilton uniform? Takes me back to where I first saw you." Tristan smirked.

"You mean, when you annoyed the hell out of me for weeks?" Rory smirked.

"Still thought you were hot. That uniform really works for you." He said.

"Well maybe if you're lucky, I'll wear it back to mine afterwards. Paris is away and Charlotte's home." She said.

"Do you like teasing me?" He groaned.

"It makes my life more fun." She grinned.

Finn suddenly walked up to them, dressed as Vincent Vega. "Tristan! Long time." He said.

"Oh...hey Finn." Tristan said surprised.

"Robert mentioned he'd invited you." Finn said.

"Wait, this is your party?" Tristan asked.

"Yep."

"Oh well happy birthday." He said awkwardly, glancing at Rory who was also suddenly looking like she didn't want to be there.

"Thanks, my friend!" Finn said, already drunk and merry, oblivious to the awkwardness. "Alright, well drink and be merry, for tomorrow we will all be in a great deal of pain." He said before taking a tray of shots and walking away.

"Finn's quite an original." Rory commented.

"He is at that." Tristan said. He glanced at her. "I'm sorry. I had no idea this was Finn's party. Robert didn't mention whose it was."

"It's ok. You weren't to know." Rory said.

"But if it's Finn's party, well a certain person is probably going to be here..." He said awkwardly.

"Oh he is." Rory said quietly, gesturing to over where Logan was sat on a couch with the same blonde haired girl she'd caught him with at her grandparents' vow renewal.

"Do you want to go?" Tristan asked. "Because we can."

Rory glanced over at Logan and she saw him spot them and frown. "No." She said deliberately taking hold of his hand. "We haven't done anything wrong." She said.

"You sure?" He asked.

Rory smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. "I'm sure."

"So I was right then? You just swooped in a played the hero huh?" Logan's voice said.

They turned round to find Logan and the girl standing there.

"I'd watch what I said if I were you." Tristan warned.

"Why? Are you going to punch me again?" Logan taunted.

"Don't tempt me." Tristan said.

"You're wrong anyway." Rory spoke for the first time, glaring at Logan. "I went to him. I never should have left him in the first place."

"Wow, Ace, I wouldn't have thought you'd run back to your sloppy firsts. Couldn't find anyone else huh? Funny that, seeing as you're so easy. How long did it take for you to sleep with me? A couple of weeks? Surely any guy would love a girl as loose as you." Logan said spitefully.

Before Rory could say anything, she gasped as Logan stumbled back with a bloodied nose.

"I warned you." Tristan said vehemently. "You talk to Rory like that again and you won't be walking the next time."

"Oh yeah?" Logan said aiming a punch back at him, causing Tristan to have a bloodied nose as well.

"Stop it!" Rory exclaimed, pulling Tristan back and stepping in between both of them.

"See what he's like?" Logan snapped at Rory. "Nothing but a violent waste of space. I can't believe you and I were ever friends." He glared at Tristan.

"I can't believe that either!" Rory said finding her voice. "Tristan's a hundred times the man you are. You're the one that cheated on me, Logan. You! Not me. So who I decide to date is none of your business! I've asked you again. Stay away from me and stay away from Tristan." She snapped, glaring at him before she took Tristan's hand and walked out with him. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"It's not your fault." Tristan said. "Hey, at least I definitely do look like someone from a Quentin Tarantino movie now." He tried to joke.

"You know I love you right?" Rory said quietly.

"What?" Tristan said surprised. "Of course."

"I don't want Logan making you doubt that. I don't know what I ever saw in him..." She said.

"Well it's in the past now." Tristan said.

"Does it hurt?" She asked looking up at him.

"Nah. I'll live." He smirked.

"Thank you." She said quietly. "For defending me like that."

"I'll always defend you. Don't listen to him. He's just bitter that he didn't win for once." Tristan said. "Not that you're a property or anything or..."

"It's ok." Rory said smiling slightly. "Thank you." She said softly giving him a kiss.

"You're welcome." He said gruffly.

"You still want to come back to mine?" She asked.

"Will you be keeping that uniform on?" He smirked.

"Maybe. Or maybe you can take it off me." Rory joked. Her smile soon faded though. "Or we could just hang out. I don't want to force you. Or look...easy..." She said quietly.

"Hey, don't listen to Logan. I don't believe anything he said. You're not all those things he said. You're really not. You just...fell for him and that's not your fault."

Rory sighed. She glanced over at him. "My first time...it should have been with you. It always should have been you." She said quietly.

"Well we can't change what's happened in the past but we can choose to forget it." Tristan said slowly. "We could always pretend..."

Rory gave him a small smile. "I'd like that." She said softly.

"Good. Well I'm liking that suggestion of going back to yours then. Does that offer still stand?" He smiled.

"Yeah." She smiled softly. "Yeah it still stands."

"Lead the way then." He smiled, putting his arm round her as they headed back to Rory's dorm.

* * *

"So we've decided on the flowers, the invites..." Lorelai said going down her list as she, Sookie, Luke, Charlotte and Rory were sat around the kitchen table at the Crap Shack.

"Ceremony and reception at the inn." Sookie nodded.

"And we're going dress shopping next weekend." Charlotte said.

"So what's left?" Lorelai asked.

"The date." Rory said.

"I was thinking May 21st." Luke said.

"That's in two months." Lorelai said surprised.

"I know. But why wait? We've pretty much have everything planned anyway." Luke pointed out. "I just want to marry you."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah you're right." She said softly.

"Charlotte and Rory will be done at Yale by then and I'm sure Jess could take a couple of days off to come down." He said.

"May 21st it is then." Lorelai smiled.

"Yay! I can't believe this is actually happening! It's going to be amazing!" Sookie grinned excitedly.

Lorelai and Luke exchanged a smile. "Yeah it is." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Two months." Luke said.

"Two months." Lorelai nodded as everyone around the table exchanged smiles, excitedly.

 **So this was a bit of a filler episode but I'd still love to hear your thoughts! Thanks again for all your support so far! :)**


	58. Chapter 58

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Just to say I won't be able to update for a couple of days as I'm busy tomorrow and I'm away on Saturday, sorry! Although, that chapter will be the wedding so I hope it will be worth waiting for! :P**

Chapter 56

A month passed which meant it was a month until the wedding. It had also been just over a month since Jess had left to go to Philadelphia. Charlotte was finally getting the chance to go and visit him. She drove up and parked outside Truncheon. She grinned when she saw Jess come out and quickly got out the car before running over to him and hugging him tightly. "Hey!" She grinned.

"Well that's a nice welcome." Jess smirked.

Charlotte grinned and kissed him. "Well what can I say? I've missed you." She said.

"I've missed you too." He said, walking with her back to the car. He opened the boot and got her bag out. "Geez, what have you got in here? Bricks?" He grumbled, heaving it over his shoulder.

"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "You know I can never travel light! I'm a girl."

"Well sure." He smirked. "Come on, I'll give you a tour." He said leading her inside.

"Ah there's the infamous girlfriend!" A guy with black afro hair said. "We were beginning to think Jess had made you up!" He grinned.

"Yeah although he talks about you the whole time!" The other guy with short dark hair smirked.

"Don't you have work to do?" Jess gave them a look.

"What, you're not going to introduce us?" The first guy grinned.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Charlotte, this is Chris and Matt. They're the idiots I have to work with that I told you about." He said smirking slightly.

"Oh Jess, you wound us." Chris joked. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte."

"Yeah it's cool to put a face to the name." Matt smiled. "Jess was up early preparing for your visit." He teased.

"Ok, this is where you two get lost." Jess said.

Charlotte laughed. "It's nice to meet you." She grinned at them as they walked off. "They seem nice." She smiled at Jess.

"Yeah they're cool." Jess admitted.

Charlotte looked around. "So this is Truncheon.." She said.

"This is Truncheon." He nodded. "These are the books we've got out at the moment." He told her pointing to the top of a bookcase.

"Cool." She said looking through them. "Hang on..." She suddenly said picking one up, eyes widening. "This has your name on it!"

"Huh, so it does." Jess smirked.

"Why didn't you tell me it was out already?" Charlotte exclaimed. "I want to read it!"

"It's not exactly the Davinci Code." He said modestly.

"I don't care! You wrote it!" She said excitedly.

"I've got you a copy upstairs." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you!" She grinned. "So are you selling lots?" She asked interested.

"Mine's doing ok." Jess admitted, ducking his head slightly. "But the other's are doing pretty well too."

"So the business is doing well?"

"Not bad." He nodded.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that, right?" She smiled at him.

"It's a team effort." He said.

"I know but I'm still proud of you." She smiled giving him a quick kiss.

"Thanks." He said gruffly. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs." He said leading her up the stairs. "I apologise for the mess. Three guys living together isn't the best combination." He smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "It's fine. At least you don't have Kirk living with you!"

"What?" Jess laughed.

"Oh I don't know. Something to do with his schedule. He had nowhere to go so mom let him stay at ours." She said.

"I bet Luke loves that." He smirked.

"Nope! But he's putting up with it." She grinned. "Anyway, I'm glad I'm not there this weekend because Paris is staying as well apparently."

"Paris and Kirk? Now that I would like to see." Jess chuckled.

"I told Rory to give me the full lowdown." Charlotte smirked.

"Good." Jess smirked. "So this is the living room and kitchen..." He said leading her into the small apartment. "And then this is my room." He said leading her into a room off the living room.

"Nice." Charlotte smiled.

"And now we're in the privacy of my room." Jess said closing the door and then pulling her in for a kiss. "Hi." He smirked.

"Hi." Charlotte smirked.

* * *

"So, how'd your magazine interview go?" Rory asked her mom as they hung out in Rory's room.

"Good, I think. I mean, I've never done one before. She didn't stab me with her pencil or anything." Lorelai said.

"Good thing."

"My interviewer was really cool. Sandra. It was more like friends chatting than being interviewed. She loved the in, and she asked some good questions and she loved my Emily stuff." She said.

"Your Emily stuff?" Rory asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, she asked me questions about my background. I gave it to her, unplugged." Lorelai grinned.

"You didn't." Rory sighed.

"She asked!"

"But you couched it, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you described it in so many words, colourful but unemotional?" Rory asked.

"I called her the female Pol Pot." Lorelai admitted.

"Mom, you didn't!"

"She laughed, for like, a minute!" She defended.

"That's so harsh."

"Harsh, but true."

"So did you attribute any war crimes to Grandma? Any environmental disasters?" Rory asked sarcastically.

"What? We were just talking. She won't print any of it." Lorelai said.

"Why? Was it off the record?" Rory asked.

"Yeah. Technically. It wasn't about the inn."

"But did you say it's off the record?"

"Well...no."

"Then it's fair game so she can print all of it." Rory sighed.

"Including the limerick?" Lorelai cringed.

"You did your limerick?"

"I am very proud of it. I found two dirty words that rhyme with Emily."

"Oh boy."

"Well, can't I call the reporter and tell her it was off the record?" Lorelai asked.

"You can't take things off the record once they're on. It doesn't work like that." Rory said.

"Well, so what? The chances that my mother reads American Travel are extremely slim."

"Yeah. Except for the fact that I told her about it tonight." Rory admitted.

"Rory!"

"I needed some small talk. It's weird not having Charlotte there as a buffer." Rory sighed.

"What, and 'how are the girls at the club' and 'ooh, that's gorgeous, is it new' doesn't work anymore? Those are tried and true standbys." Lorelai said.

"Well, I told her about it and she jotted down the title. She's going to read it."

"Ok, well, you know what? Fine. Let her. It's all true. I'm tired of protecting people. Of being polite, of worrying about other people's feelings. Let her get all Condoleezza Rice to my Barbara Boxer if she wants." Lorelai shrugged.

"Have you sent them an invite to the wedding yet?" Rory asked hesitantly. Lorelai was quiet. "Mom! It's in a month!"

"I'll do it! I just...I don't particularly want to be round my mother at the moment." She said.

"I get that but you need to send them an invitation. It'll just end up in even more drama if you don't." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "That's what Luke said."

"And he's right."

"So what's Tristan doing this weekend?" Lorelai asked changing the subject.

* * *

The next day, Rory and Paris had gone round to Lane's so Lorelai went to the diner. "Hey." She smiled as she went up to the counter.

"Hey." Luke smiled. "Coffee?"

"Do you have to ask?" She grinned.

"Sorry, my mistake." He said dryly, pouring her a cup. "So what's your plan for today?"

"Well Rory and Paris are out and you're working so...I might head over to my parents' house." She admitted.

"Really?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah. Rory was bugging me again to give them an invitation." Lorelai sighed. "I just...I don't know how I will act around my mother..."

"Well...you know I'm not your mother's biggest fan but...I would give anything to have my parents at our wedding." Luke admitted. "I just don't want you to regret anything. I mean, don't you want your father to walk you down the aisle?" He asked.

Lorelai smiled slightly. "Yeah I do." She admitted.

"Well then...talk to them. Invite them. And then it's up to them whether they come. You've done your bit." He said.

"Yeah I guess so." She said. She gave him a smile. "See you later?"

"You bet." He smiled.

"Ok. Bye hon. "She smiled giving him a kiss.

"Bye." He smiled.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lorelai took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell of the Gilmore Mansion. The door opened and she found herself face to face with her mother. "Mom.." She said surprised, having expected a maid.

"Lorelai.." Emily said just as surprised.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Do you and dad have a minute?" She asked.

"Sure. Is something wrong? The girls?" Emily asked.

"Oh no, the girls are fine." Lorelai assured her. "Nothing's wrong. I just..I want to talk to you about something."

"Well ok." Emily said. "Richard!" She called.

"What is it, Emily? I'm working." He said appearing from his office. He stopped when he saw Lorelai. "Lorelai?" He said surprised.

"Hi dad." Lorelai smiled nervously.

"Lorelai wanted to talk to us about something." Emily told him. "Let's go through to the living room." She said. "Would you like a drink, Lorelai?"

"Oh no, I'm ok." She said, sitting down on one of the couches while her parents sat on the other. "Ok I'll get straight to the point." She said taking something out of her pocket. "I know you're not exactly a huge fan of me and Luke together but I love him and he loves me and we're getting married in a month. May 17th specifically. Now I know this isn't what you expected for me but I'm marrying Luke. It's happening and nothing's going to stop that. Now you might choose not to come and that's fine but this is me, inviting you. I feel like my parents should be at my wedding and I...want you there." She rambled quickly. She took a deep breath. "This is all I've wanted my whole life. To find the full package. Someone who loves me but who loves Rory and Charlotte as well and I've got that all with Luke. Dad, I know you and I have had our ups and downs and I know you've been disappointed by my choices but...I would really like my dad to give me away. And mom, I don't know if I can forgive you for what you did at your vow renewal but you're still my mom and all I've ever wanted is for you to be proud of me. So here..." She said handing over the invitation. "I..uh..I hope you'll be there." She said, letting out a big breath.

Emily and Richard sat there in silence for a moment before Richard spoke. "Lorelai, you're my daughter, and I would be honoured to give you away." He said his voice cracking a bit.

Lorelai let out a relieved breath and felt some tears in her eyes. "Thanks dad." She said softly. She turned to her mother. "Mom, I need to admit something. I did this interview for this magazine about the inn but I..uh..I may have said some things about you. I was angry and it was childish of me but I was angry." She said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Emily was quiet for a moment. "Well...I guess I deserved that." She said slowly.

"I was angry." Lorelai admitted.

"Do you really want me at your wedding?" She asked.

Lorelai smiled softly. "I would. I really would. But you need to promise me, you'll stay out of mine and Luke's business. No more stunts."

"I promise." Emily said.

"Really?"

"Lorelai, I've lost you once before. I don't want to lose you again." She said quietly.

"Well then it's your decision. The invitation's there. If you come, I will know you've finally accepted me and Luke." Lorelai said getting up. "I should get going. I hope to see you there." She said before giving them a small smile before leaving, letting out a big breath as she left the house.

* * *

"I'm proud of you." Luke said as he sat down next to Lorelai on the couch at the Crap Shack.

"Me too!" Rory smiled coming in.

"It had to be done. Dad says he's coming. Now I guess it's up to my mom." Lorelai sighed. "At least I've done it." She shrugged.

"Exactly." Luke said.

"Oh Charlotte rang by the way." Rory said.

"Oh yeah? How's she doing?" Lorelai smiled.

"Good. She said Truncheon's great! And Jess is selling lots of books as well." She smiled.

"That's great!" Lorelai smiled.

"Oh and she told me to tell you that Jess has put a book in the post for you." Rory told Luke.

"Good." He nodded.

"So she's having fun?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh yeah!" Rory laughed. "God I had to put up with her going on about the visit all week! It was like they hadn't seen each other for a year!" She smirked just as her cell rang. "Oh it's Tristan." She smiled getting up and leaving the room.

"We're getting married in a month. How crazy is that?" Lorelai smiled at Luke.

"Yeah." He smiled putting his arm round her. "A month."

"A month." She smiled softly, leaning in to give him a kiss. "I can't wait."

"Me neither." Luke smiled.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep reviewing as I love reading what you think! I really do appreciate your support so thank you! :)**


	59. Chapter 59

**So here it is! I've managed to get it up today before I go away tomorrow for a night. The wedding chapter! :) Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 57

Lorelai was sat on the back porch of the Dragonfly Inn, sipping a cup of coffee, and watching some members of staff put finishing touches on the marquee. She smiled slightly to herself as the sun shone down. They were worried about the weather but it had turned out lovely. She just hoped it stayed like that.

"Mom, there you are!" She suddenly heard Charlotte's voice.

She turned to see her two daughters come outside. "Hey." She smiled.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Rory said.

"Yeah we woke up and your bed was empty!" Charlotte said.

"Sorry." Lorelai said suddenly feeling guilty about worrying them. "I woke early and couldn't get back to sleep."

"That's all it was. You're not having second thoughts or anything?" Charlotte said quietly.

"What?" She said surprised.

"Well...we woke up and you weren't there and we just...we thought back to you and Max..." Rory said quietly.

Lorelai felt awful for worrying them. "No. I promise you there are no doubts. I'm marrying Luke." She assured them.

"Good." Charlotte let out a breath sitting down next to her while Rory sat down on the other side. "Because we would have had to kick your butt if you did." She joked.

Lorelai laughed. "I don't doubt that."

"So how are you feeling?" Rory asked.

"A bit nervous." She admitted. "But who isn't on their wedding day?"

"True." Charlotte said.

"But I'm mostly excited. I just want it to happen now." Lorelai smiled.

"Well we need to start getting you ready then." Rory smiled. "Sookie will be here soon to help as well."

"Yeah come on, Mom. This morning is going to go quickly so we should start." Charlotte smiled getting up and they walked inside.

"Hang on! I can't get ready without breakfast! You know I need food to function." She said.

"Well I think your soon to be husband may have thought of that." Rory said gesturing to the person walking through the front door of the inn.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed, rushing forward to greet her boyfriend.

"I come bearing food." He said. "Courtesy of your soon to be husband."

"Aw I knew I was marrying him for a reason!" Lorelai grinned taking the bags of food. She smiled at Jess. "It's good to see you, Jess. Did you have a good journey?" She asked.

"Wasn't bad." Jess nodded. "Got in late last night."

"How's Luke?" She asked slightly nervously.

"Driving me mad already. He got up at like 5 and wouldn't stop pacing around." Jess smirked.

"Pacing? Why was he pacing?" She asked worried.

"Relax mom, you know he normally gets up early." Charlotte reassured her. "He's probably excited just like you. You were up early as well." She pointed out.

"He is excited." Jess said quickly. "In his words, he wants it to happen already. I got a whole rant about why weddings had to be after 12." He said smirking slightly.

"He's really ok?" Lorelai said relaxing slightly.

"If he could marry you now, he would." Jess assured.

"Good! Come on, mom! Let's go eat and get ready." Rory smiled, leading her upstairs.

"Tell Luke I love him and I will be the one coming down the aisle in the dress!" Lorelai grinned, following Rory.

"I will." Jess smirked. He turned to Charlotte. "Hey." He smiled.

"Hi." She smiled, giving him a kiss. "I should head up. Help mom." She said.

"Sure, you go. I'll see you later." He said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you in your suit." She teased.

"Oh yeah?" He smirked.

"Yeah." She grinned, giving him another kiss. "Ok I really need to go now. Don't annoy Luke too much!" She joked as she headed up the stairs.

"Would I?" Jess smirked.

"Just make sure he's at the end of that aisle!" She grinned.

"Don't worry, he'll be there." He smirked.

"See you later, best man!" She grinned before disappearing up the stairs.

* * *

"Will you just sit down?" Jess said as he watched Luke pace around the kitchen from the couch.

"Why do weddings start in the afternoon? What's the point?" Luke ranted. "I swear it's just to drive the grooms mad! They know we have nothing to do so they do this just to annoy us!"

"Who's they?" Jess asked.

"The people!" Luke exclaimed.

"The people...?"

"Jess!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Jess smirked. "You really need to sit down. You're going to have a heart attack before you even get down that aisle so just take it easy."

Luke let out a big breath. "I just...I want it to happen already." He said.

"Yeah I kind of got that." He said just as the doors to the apartment opened. "Good!" Jess said. "Get him to stop driving me mad please!"

"Is someone a bit nervous?" Maisy laughed.

"Not nervous. Angry at everyone for the fact that weddings are not at like 7 in the morning." Jess smirked.

"Just like William." Buddy chuckled. "Hey son." He smiled giving Luke a hug.

"Hey Buddy." He smiled softly. "Maisy." He smiled giving her a hug as well.

"Stop making your nephew nervous and sit down." Maisy laughed pushing Luke gently into a chair. "Jess, it's so lovely to see you again." She smiled, giving him a hug.

"You too." Jess smiled. "Buddy." He nodded, giving Buddy a handshake.

"Good to see you, Jess." Buddy smiled. "So how are you feeling?" He asked Luke.

"Just want it to happen now." Luke grumbled.

"Just like your dad." Buddy smirked.

Luke glanced up at him. "Really?" He asked.

"He was just like you were the morning he married your mother." Buddy smiled. "I couldn't get him to sit still."

"Your mother was the same." Maisy smiled sitting down at the table as well. "She was so excited but she just wanted it to happen."

Luke smiled softly. "I've seen photos. Mom looked beautiful." He said.

"Oh she was!" Maisy smiled. "As I'm sure Lorelai will. But you still to relax a bit or you're going to drive yourself crazy."

"You want to play?" Buddy asked taking out some cards.

Luke sighed. "Yeah sure, why not." He relented.

"Jess?" Buddy asked.

"Sure." Jess said adjusting his tie and then joining them at the table. "Who's dealing?" He asked when suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Are you expecting anyone?" He asked Luke.

"No." Luke frowned. "Come in, it's open!" He called.

"I'm sorry to interrupt..." Richard said coming in.

"Richard!" Luke said surprised getting up. "You came."

"Of course I came. My daughter's getting married." Richard said. "I couldn't say no to walking her down the aisle."

"And...Emily?" He asked hesitantly.

"She's here. She's gone to the inn." Richard nodded.

"Good. Lorelai will be happy." Luke smiled. "Oh, uh, Richard, these are my parents' oldest friends, Maisy and Buddy, and you know Jess."

"Nice to meet you." Richard smiled at them.

"Richard's Lorelai's father." Luke told Maisy and Buddy.

"Lovely to meet you." Maisy smiled.

"Luke really punched above his weight with her for sure." Buddy joked.

"Richard, would you like to join us? We're just about to play some cards." Luke said, giving Buddy a look.

"Oh that's very kind of you. I will, thank you." Richard smiled.

* * *

"Ready?" Lorelai called from the bathroom in her room.

"Just come out already!" Sookie called from the room. She had joined Charlotte and Rory to help Lorelai get ready.

Lorelai walked out of the bathroom with her wedding dress on, with a giddy smile on her face. "So?"

"Oh mom, it's beautiful!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"You look amazing!" Rory enthused.

"You really do." Sookie nodded enthusiastically. "I didn't think it could get any more beautiful than when you wore it in the shop but it's gorgeous!"

"Really?" Lorelai smiled self consciously.

"It's beautiful." A voice said from the door.

Lorelai's head whipped round. "Mom!" She said surprised.

"One of your staff members told me what room you were in. I hope that's ok." Emily said hesitantly coming into the room.

"Of course." Lorelai said giving her a small smile. "You came." She said softly.

"Well of course I came. My daughter's getting married." Emily said.

"Mom..." She said.

"I'm sorry." Emily said quietly. "For the way I treated Luke. And for what I did with Christopher. It was wrong and I'm sorry."

"Wow, did my mother just apologise?" Lorelai smirked. "I don't think I've ever heard that happen before."

Emily sighed. "I don't want to miss anymore of you and your girls' lives." She admitted. She glanced at her daughter. "You really do look beautiful, Lorelai."

"Thanks mom." She smiled softly.

"And I was hoping that maybe you would wear something for me." Emily said tentatively. She pulled a tiara out of her bag. "Your grandmother wore this at her wedding and I wore it at mine to your father. It would mean a lot to me if you wear it today." She said.

Lorelai's eyes filled with tears. "Of course." She said softly. "I would be honoured." She said slowly putting it on and looking in the mirror."

"Aw mom, you look like a princess." Rory smiled.

"No, you look like a queen!" Charlotte grinned.

"Hon, it's showtime." Sookie said, glancing at the clock.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Can I just have a moment with Charlotte and Rory?" She asked her best friend and mother.

"We'll be downstairs." Emily nodded.

"Good luck!" Sookie grinned before leaving with Emily.

"Are you ready?" Charlotte smiled at their mom.

"I think so." Lorelai nodded.

"Just remember to breathe." Rory teased.

"I'll try." Lorelai laughed. She glanced at them. "Are you ready to get a step-dad?" She asked nervously. "I know it's been us three against the world for like ever." She said.

"Mom, we love Luke." Charlotte smiled.

"I know. I just...this is your day as much as mine." Lorelai said softly.

"We're ready, mom." Rory smiled softly.

"Now let's go get you married!" Charlotte grinned.

* * *

Luke was stood at the end of the aisle with Jess and Buddy standing just behind him. He suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach as the music started playing, signifying that the ceremony was about to start. He glanced down the aisle and saw Sookie walking down with a huge grin on her face. She was then followed by Charlotte and Rory. He couldn't stop the smile appearing on his face as he watched his soon to be step-daughters, the two kids that ever meant anything to him other than family, walk down the aisle sending a smile in his direction as they stood next to Sookie on Lorelai's side. He then took a deep breath knowing it was very close to seeing Lorelai appear.

Lorelai was stood at the end of the aisle, suddenly feeling somersaults happening in his stomach.

"Are you ready?" Richard asked softly.

She turned to him and smiled. "Yeah. I'm so ready." She said.

"Let's go get you married then." He smiled as he held held his arm.

Lorelai smiled and linked arms with him, taking hold of his hand as she did that. They then started walking down the aisle. The moment Lorelai caught Luke's eye, she knew she was lost in the moment. She couldn't tear her gaze away from him as he stood handsomely in his suit.

Luke watched as Lorelai walked down the aisle and all he could think about was how lucky he was to be marrying this beautiful woman. She was amazing and she'd changed his life. He watched as Richard kissed her cheek and then handed her over to him.

"We're doing it." She beamed up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Yeah." He smiled, starting to feel moisture in his eyes as well. "You look beautiful."

"You don't look so bad yourself." She teased.

Luke chuckled. "I try." He joked.

They both turned to Reverend Skinner and he started with the ceremony. Maisy did a reading and so did Charlotte and Rory and then soon it was times for the vows.

"Lorelai, would you like to go first?" He asked.

Lorelai nodded and turned to Luke, taking hold of his hands. "Luke..." She said already feeling tears that were threatening to fall. "I've been searching for this whole package most of my life. Someone who loved me, who looked out for, who was just...there for me." She said emotionally. "And I realised one day, I'd had that the whole time. I might not have realised it at the time but I had it. With you. Luke, you were the first person who didn't judge me for who I was, who didn't treat me differently because of it, who was lovely and looked out for my kids when you had no obligation too. You're an amazing man, Luke Danes. You're kind, you're unselfish, you're loyal. And I count my lucky stars everyday that you chose me. That we found each other and realised how we really felt. I love you so much and I promise to be by your side til death do us part." She smiled through her tears that were now falling.

"Thank you, Lorelai." Reverend Skinner smiled. "Luke?" He prompted.

Luke swallowed a lump in his throat and blinked back some tears. "Lorelai, you changed my life. Simple as that." He said. "Before you, I was a hermit. A loner. A grump." He admitted. "I withdrew myself from everyone and everything and just spent my time working. But then you burst into the diner, looking for coffee, annoying the hell out of me." He said before glancing guiltily at the Reverend. "Sorry." He apologised causing some laughs in the congregation. He turned back to Lorelai. "You changed me for the better. I started looking forward to my day hoping that you would come in. You re-energised me and made me realise that life was worth living. I knew then and there that I was going to make the most of my life and I was going to do that with you. As you said, it took some time, but we finally got it together and I'm not letting you go. Ever. You're amazing, Lorelai. Your determination to achieve what you want, your outlook on life and your hard work were three of the things that drew me to you. And the way how you did all that while being an incredible mother as well." He said. "I admire you so much and I'm so grateful you chose to spend the rest of your life with me. I love you so much." He said, letting out a big breath, relieved he had managed to keep it together.

"Thank you, Luke." Reverend Skinner. The rings were given and then it was time for the most important part. "Lorelai, do you take Luke to be your lawful wedded husband?" He asked.

"I do." Lorelai grinned at Luke.

"Luke, do you take Lorelai to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do." Luke smiled at her.

"With the power vested in me and God, I can now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Reverend Skinner smiled.

"About time." Luke smirked before pulling Lorelai towards him and kissing her. "I love you." He said.

"I love you too." Lorelai grinned as everyone started cheering and applauding them.

* * *

Everyone was sat round tables having just finished the main course of their meal which meant it was time for speeches. Richard stood up first and took the mic. "Firstly, I'd like to say how radiant my daughter looks today. And how happy I am for her." He smiled down at his daughter who reciprocated the action. "Now I'm sure Lorelai's told you that we've had our ups and downs in our relationship but when she asked me to walk her down the aisle, I was honoured. That's a father's biggest wish. That his daughter finds someone who loves her and who makes her happy. And I can see that Luke does." He said giving Luke a nod. "I know my wife and I haven't always been that welcoming but we would like to publicly welcome you into our family, Luke. We can see how happy you make our daughter and we know she loves you. And thank you, Luke, for loving and being there for Lorelai." He said. He held his glass up. "A toast to the bride and groom."

"To Lorelai and Luke." Everyone chorused while Lorelai stood up and thanked her dad, giving him a hug.

Buddy then did a short speech saying how happy him and Maisy were for Luke and how good Lorelai was for him. He also did a sweet tribute to Luke's parents which brought a tear to everyone's eyes. Charlotte and Rory then stood up and took the mic off their grandfather. "So I don't think we really need to introduce ourselves..." Charlotte started causing everyone to laugh. "But for those who don't know, we're Lorelai's daughters!" She said. "Firstly we'd like to say..." She said glancing at Rory.

"You finally did it!" They grinned in unison.

"And how long did it take for you two to finally realise you were in love with each other?" Charlotte teased. "I think we all knew years before you finally did anything about it."

"Oh yeah, we knew when you first asked us what we thought about Luke!" Rory grinned. "Remember, we were passing the diner and you looked in the diner and suddenly asked us what we thought of Luke?" She teased, as their mom put her head in her hands embarrassed.

"And we knew immediately what she meant and we told her she couldn't date you, Luke." Charlotte said glancing at Luke. "Not because we didn't like you or want you to be together." She said quickly. "We were worried that if it didn't last, we would lose you. We would all lose you." She admitted. Luke gave her a small smile of understanding. "But when Jess suggested we set you up about two years later..." She said, smirking at her boyfriend. "Yes I am revealing your soft side, Mariano." She teased. "Anyway, when Jess suggested we set you two up and when I saw you two together I knew it was right. Mom was ready and so were you. I knew it wasn't going to mess up because I knew mom loved you and that you would be there for her no matter what." She smiled at Luke.

"And you have been there for her." Rory smiled. "Since we met you, you've been there for us, helping mom out at the house, giving us food on the house when you knew mom couldn't afford it...You were there for us. All of us." She said softly. "You were the first person to treat us as a package deal. You've been there for me and Charlotte and not just because you liked mom. It was because it is who you are. And we're incredibly happy to now get to call you our step-dad." She grinned.

"We really are. And we're grateful for everything you've done for us. You've always been a kind of father figure to us." Charlotte said. "And like Rory said, we're so happy you and mom are finally happy because now you're officially part of our family. I hope you're ready for us all!" She grinned.

"And mom..." Rory said turning to Lorelai. "We agreed to talk more about Luke but only because you know how much you mean to us."

"And if we spoke too much about you, we'd fall apart!" Charlotte quipped. "Mom, you've always done the best for us and made sure we've had everything we've needed. So we're happy that you've finally found someone who can look out for you like you did for us." She smiled softly.

"We love you, mom." Rory smiled.

"So let's have another toast!" Charlotte said raising her glass. "To mom and Luke!"

Jess then stood up and took the mic. "So I can't really follow that." He joked. "I'm not one for words and speeches but I wanted to thank Luke specifically." He said glancing over at his uncle. "I wouldn't be where I was today if it wasn't for you. You made me believe in myself again and made me believe I could achieve something with my life. You..uh..you also made me feel...well...like I mattered again." He said gruffly. "You looked out for me and I know I didn't exactly show my appreciation at the beginning but I do appreciate it. Everything you've done for me. So thanks." He said. "And Lorelai, thank you for making him happy because when he's happy, everyone's happy." He smirked. "So I'm sorry it's short but to Luke and Lorelai!" He said raising his glass.

* * *

"We would like to introduce the bride and groom to the dance floor for their first dance." Lane announced from the stage. "And for one night only, Hep Alien would like to invite Jess up on stage to sing this number with us." She smiled.

Luke looked at Jess questioningly who gave him a small smile. "This is for doing a rubbish speech." Jess said smirking slightly before getting up on the stage and grabbing his guitar. "So..uh..congratulations Uncle Luke for finally becoming a married man. Now go ask your wife to dance. And Lorelai, I'm only singing this because you make my uncle happy but if I see a video of this going round, I'll know who did it." He smirked before starting to strum his guitar and singing Eternal Flame with his own twist to it.

Lorelai grinned and followed her husband onto the dance floor before starting to dance slowly with him. "I can't believe Jess agreed to sing this." She smirked.

"I think he's doing it because he likes you." Luke smiled. "And this is his way of showing you he accepts us being together."

Lorelai smiled and glanced over at Jess on the stage. "He's turned out alright, hasn't he?" She smiled softly.

"Yeah. He has." Luke smiled softly.

Lorelai turned back to him and smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said.

"Lorelai and Luke would like to invite other couples to join them on the dance floor." Jess said in a break of the song. He watched As Emily and Richard, Maisy and Buddy, Rory and Tristan, his mom and TJ, and Sookie and Jackson all joined them on the floor among with many others. He glanced over at Charlotte who was sat at the side watching everyone smiling. He glanced over at Zach. "Take over, will you?" He said before putting his guitar down and walking over to Charlotte. "I couldn't help but notice you were sat all alone and we can't have that." He smirked.

"Can't we?" She smirked.

Jess smirked and held out his hand. "Would you like to dance?" He asked.

Charlotte smiled and took it. "Lead the way." She said as she followed him onto the floor as Hep Alien kept singing in the background.

* * *

"Ok so I've done two slow dances and two upbeat songs. That's me done!" Jess said as he and Charlotte walked off the dance floor later that evening and sat down.

"I didn't think you'd last that long." Charlotte teased. "You surprise me."

Jess smirked. "I try." He said.

"Charlotte..." A voice said approaching them.

"Grandma.." Charlotte said surprised looking up.

"I was wondering if I could have a word..." Emily said hesitantly.

"Well...I'm a bit busy..." Charlotte said quietly.

"It's ok. I'll give you some space." Jess said.

"No. It...it's sort of both of you I would like to talk to." She said sitting down nervously. "I'm sure my granddaughter has told you about the outburst that happened in the diner a few weeks ago." Emily said.

"She mentioned it, yes." He nodded.

"Grandma, do we have to do this today? On mom's wedding day?" Charlotte sighed.

"I just wanted to apologise." Emily said quickly.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"I know, two apologies in a day, what's happened to your real grandmother?" Emily said smirking slightly.

"Well...you said it." She said but smirked slightly.

"I've been watching you two tonight, dancing and having fun, and I can see how happy you are together. And I'm sorry for trying to interfere." She said quietly. "I'm not saying this because I want you back the dinners, Charlotte. Well I do want that but I'm not saying this so you'll come back because I know it will take some time for you to forgive me. You're too much like your mom in that aspect." She said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Charlotte said.

"It is." Emily sighed. "I just..I wanted to have my say and apologise because I miss talking to my granddaughter. I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of the party." She said getting up.

"Grandma..." Charlotte said.

Emily turned round nervously.

"Thank you." She smiled softly. "I appreciate your apology. I'm not saying I'll come back to the dinners straight away but I appreciate your apology. I know that would have been hard for you."

"Thank you." Emily gave her a small smile, relieved. She glanced at Jess. "I hope you know how lucky you are to have her."

"Oh I do." Jess nodded.

Emily nodded and then walked away.

"Well that was a turnout for the books." Jess smirked.

"Yeah definitely wasn't expecting that." Charlotte admitted. She smiled at him though. "At least we know she won't interfere anymore."

"And she was right about one thing." Jess said.

"What?"

"Knowing how lucky I am to have you."

"Jess..." She said blushing slightly.

"I hope you know how much I love you." He said gruffly. "And how much I appreciate your support, especially recently with me working in Philadelphia."

"You deserve everything you've achieved." Charlotte smiled. "And I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." Jess said gruffly. "I sort of wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure." She said.

"Well you know how it's just me, Chris and Matt working at Truncheon?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Well..uh..we're sort of looking for a fourth person to join us." He said glancing up at him. "We were thinking of maybe getting some art pieces and decorating the walls with them but then when we have open days, we could maybe sell them and then hopefully they'd come back for more. And we were also thinking it might be good to get an illustrator so that if people approach us with their books, we can offer that service as well." He said carefully.

"That sounds sensible." Charlotte nodded. "So have you found anyone?"

"Yeah..well we haven't asked her yet but I know someone who's incredible at art and who I know would be perfect for the job." Jess said looking at her.

"Who?" She asked.

"You." He said.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Come and work with us at Truncheon." Jess said.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think as I was really nervous about this chapter! Thank you again for the continued support! :)**


	60. Chapter 60

**Sorry for the delay! I was away on Saturday and didn't have my laptop with me. Sorry that this is a shorter chapter but I promise the next one will be longer! Anyway, thank you so much for all your support! :)**

Chapter 58

"You're kidding right?" Charlotte said.

"Why would I be kidding?" Jess said.

"Because..well because...because I'm at Yale! I can't just come and work for you." She said.

"Why not? You don't need a degree for becoming and illustrator or an artist." Jess pointed out.

"I can't just drop out of Yale! I...I just can't!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Ok, I get that you're worried but you're finished for the summer now right?" He asked.

"Yeah..."

"Ok, well why don't you come for the summer, see how you like it and then if you don't, you can just go back to Yale when term starts again?" Jess suggested.

Charlotte glanced at him. "You're really serious about this? You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

He nodded. "I was thinking...now with Truncheon making money, I could maybe buy a small flat somewhere and we could live there."

"Wow, you really have thought about this." Charlotte said quietly.

"I know it's a big thing. A really big thing but I really think you could make a huge difference to Truncheon. I've seen your art, it's amazing." Jess said. "You would be amazing."

Charlotte smiled self-consciously. She was quiet for a moment before glancing at him. "So we would live together in Philadelphia?" She asked slowly.

"If that's what you want."

"And you've asked Chris and Matt if they're ok with me coming?"

"They're on board with it." Jess nodded.

Charlotte was quiet for another moment. "I would have to talk to mom about it..." She said slowly.

"I figured that." He said.

"I'll do it once they're back from their honeymoon. I don't want her thinking about this when they're supposed to be enjoying themselves." She said.

"Fair enough." Jess nodded.

Charlotte smiled slightly at him. "It would be kind of cool." She admitted.

"That's what I thought." Jess smirked. "You and me, living and working together."

"It would be a real test for our relationship..." Charlotte said cautiously.

"Nah it won't." He said simply.

"How can you be so sure? We'd see each other every minute of the day."

"Because we love each other." Jess shrugged. "And I'd be a fool to let you go. Your Grandma's already made that clear." He smirked.

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah..." She said. She glanced at him. "I love you too." She smiled softly.

* * *

A week passed and Charlotte and Rory were waiting at a table outside Weston's for their mom to join them. Their mom and Luke had arrived back from honeymoon the day before. Lorelai wanted to check in at the inn and then was going to meet them at Weston's for a catch up. Charlotte was going to finally tell her mom about her decision to go with Jess to Philadelphia. The more she had thought about it, the more she wanted to go. Jess was right. It was exactly what she wanted to do. She had mentioned it to Rory who had been surprised but had agreed to be there when she told their mom.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! The inn was swamped. These bikers are like rabbits who don't eat carrots, too much sugar!" Lorelai exclaimed as she suddenly appeared and sat down at their table.

"Mm, sugar!" Rory said.

"The fitness craze is completely lost on us." Lorelai joked.

"I'm starving." Rory said.

"Me too." Lorelai said picking up a menu. "Hey, so how did your final go?" She asked Rory who had her last final while they were on their honeymoon.

"It went well." She nodded.

"Yeah? And you two finished packing?" She smiled at them both.

"All packed, all boxed. I just have one more trip to school and home and then I'm done." Rory nodded, glancing at Charlotte who hadn't said anything yet.

"Yeah I'm all done." Charlotte said.

"Ah. It's going to be nice to have you both home for a while." Lorelai smiled.

"So how was your honeymoon?" Charlotte asked, trying to put off telling her mom.

"Amazing!" She grinned. "The location was incredible and it was sunny everyday. We swam, we ate, we sunbathed. I'll spare you the other details." She smirked.

"Good." Charlotte smirked.

"Hey, do you think today is the day we're finally going to go through all twelve layers of the twelve-layer German chocolate cake? The bikers have demonstrated the importance of challenging oneself." Lorelai grinned.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "Mom.."

"Charlotte.." She said.

"I have to tell you something. Before we order." Charlotte said nervously.

"Ok. Wow, there's something about Weston's, it's always the place where we talk." She joked.

"We could go somewhere else." She said quickly.

"No, no! Tell me." Lorelai smiled.

Charlotte took a deep breath, glancing at Rory who gave her an encouraging smile. "I have decided that I'm not going back to Yale next year." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." Lorelai frowned.

"I'm not going back to Yale next year." Charlotte repeated nervously.

"But why?" She asked confused.

"Look, don't freak out or anything but Jess has offered me a job. At Truncheon." She admitted. "You know how I've always known what I've wanted to do with my life..."

"An illustrator or artist." Lorelai frowned.

"Exactly. Well...Jess has offered me a job which would let me do both of those things. It's too good to say no to." Charlotte said quietly.

"Well why can't you go after you finish at Yale? I'm assuming Truncheon will still be there." Lorelai said.

"Because I want to go now." Charlotte admitted. "Jess was right. I don't need a degree to be an artist or illustrator. Why should I say no to my ideal job?"

"So, what? You're going to take advice from someone who had to repeat his senior year? Who didn't even go to college? Come on, Charlotte. You need to finish your course!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Don't talk about Jess like that." Charlotte frowned. "He's worked really hard and he's done amazingly! He's written and published a book in case you hadn't noticed! And he's sold so many copies of it!"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Charlotte, honey, you need to think about yourself. You'll do so much better in life with a degree under your belt. I want you to do the best that you can do. Get the best out of life that you can." She said calmly.

"What, and Jess doesn't want that for me?" She challenged.

"I think he's being selfish." Lorelai admitted. "I think he wants you to be with him but I don't think he realises how much you belong at Yale. Yale was your dream." She said.

"No it wasn't! It was your dream!" Charlotte exclaimed frustrated.

"What?" She said surprised.

"You didn't go to college so all of our lives you've been emotionally blackmailing us to do things you couldn't without actually asking us what we want!" Charlotte said.

"Charlotte..." Rory said quietly seeing their mom's hurt face.

"What?" She exclaimed. "It's true! She pushed you into Harvard! Made you think you wanted to go their just because she didn't want you to go to Yale because Grandpa went to Yale! You never asked me what I wanted to do! You just assumed I wanted to go to college!" Charlotte snapped.

"This is all Jess." Lorelai said shaking his head. "He's messing with your mind. Just because he didn't want to go to college, he's got it in your head that you don't want that now either! He has so many motives that have nothing to do with your abilities!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well where would you live?"

"Jess said he could get a flat and we could live there." Charlotte said.

"There you go! He doesn't want you to go because he thinks this would be good for you. He's doing it for himself so that he can see you with no thought for your future!" Lorelai said angrily.

"Well what if my future is Jess?" Charlotte retorted. "I love him! What is so bad about us living and working together?"

"You're making a mistake." Lorelai said.

"Well I don't think I am. I think I'm taking the chance of doing a job I really believe I will love. Jess being there is just a bonus." Charlotte said. "I'm not that shallow that I would go just for Jess."

"Really?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"What? You seriously think I'm that shallow?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I'm not saying that." She said. "I'm just saying that I know you've been missing Jess a lot so that might have obscured your thinking."

"Well it hasn't. I've really thought about this. I'm going."

"No. You are not quitting Yale. I'm not letting you." Lorelai said.

"Why can't you respect my decision? Rory's been supportive, why can't you?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well I didn't exactly say..." Rory tried but was interrupted by their mom.

"Because you're acting incredibly immature, that's why! This is too important! You've been working towards Yale your whole life! I'm not going to let you throw that away."

"Well it's not your decision to make, it's mine." She said.

"So what's the great master plan then, huh? You go to Philadelphia, live with Jess and just start working there?" Lorelai said. "What if you and Jess break up?"

"We won't." Charlotte frowned.

"You don't know that. You don't know what might happen in the future. What if you two break up? What would happen then?" She said.

"That's a hypothetical question."

"But it could come true."

"Thanks for being so pessimistic about my relationship." She snapped.

"I'm being practical! What would happen? You wouldn't be able to keep living together." Lorelai pointed out. "And you would have already thrown away Yale so you wouldn't be able to go back there."

"Fine. I would just find somewhere else to live but continue working for Truncheon. Jess wouldn't just fire me." Charlotte said. "Whatever happens, we'll figure it out."

"I'm not hungry." Lorelai said grabbing her purse, getting up.

"I'm not going to change my mind." Charlotte said.

"Message sent." She said before walking off.

Charlotte let out a groan and put her head in her hands. "Why can't she just support me? This is what I want to do. What I really want to do!" She exclaimed.

"She's just worried, that's all." Rory said quietly. "It is...quite sudden."

"What, so you're taking her side too?" Charlotte snapped.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just..."

"I know exactly what you're saying. Well, I'm not going back to Yale. I'm leaving with Jess to go to Philadelphia tomorrow morning. I'm meeting him outside the diner at 10 and then we're going. I'd like to be able to say goodbye to my sister but if you just agree with mom, don't bother coming." She snapped before getting up and leaving.

* * *

The following morning, Charlotte was stood outside the diner as Jess put their bags in his car. Charlotte glanced at Luke who was there to say goodbye. "Are you disappointed in me as well?" She asked quietly.

"I could never be disappointed in you." Luke said gruffly.

"Yeah, well mom is." She said quietly.

"She'll come round." Luke assured her.

"I don't think she will. She couldn't even look at me this morning. She wouldn't talk to me yesterday evening. She thinks I'm making the biggest mistake of my life." Charlotte sighed. "I just wish she would see this is the biggest opportunity anyone has ever given me. It could be really good for me."

"She'll come round." Luke repeated. "Come here." He said softly, giving her a hug. "Break a leg, kid. I know you'll be great."

"Thanks Luke." Charlotte smiled tremulously at him.

"We should get going." Jess said cautiously.

"Rory's not coming to say goodbye?" Luke asked.

Charlotte looked around. "I guess not." She said quietly. She had really hoped her sister would be there. She sighed and opened the door to the car.

"Charlotte, wait!" A voice called.

She turned round to see Rory running towards them. "I'm so sorry! Paris called and you know what it's like when you get into a debate with her." She said trying to catch her breath. "I was worried I was going to miss you."

"Well you didn't." Charlotte smiled softly. "You came..."

"Hey, I wasn't going to miss waving my sister off to her first proper job. A job I know she's going to be amazing at." Rory joked.

Charlotte smiled. "You really mean that?" She asked softly.

Rory sighed. "I can understand mom's point of view." She admitted. "But I don't want to fall out with you. I just want you to be sure that you're doing what you really want." She said softly. "That's all I want for you."

"I am sure." She said.

"Well then I'm happy for you. I am going to miss you though." Rory said.

"I'm going to miss you too." Charlotte said, blinking back some tears. She then hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you. For supporting me on this. It means a lot."

"I know you're going to be great." Rory smiled tremulously. "And you..." She said turning to Jess. "You take care of her or else you'll have me to answer to." She said smirking slightly.

"Duly noted." Jess smirked. "We really should be getting off now." He told Charlotte.

Charlotte nodded and gave Rory one last hug. She smiled at Luke and then glanced across the square and that was when she saw her mom standing by the gazebo, watching them. She caught her eye briefly before her mom crossed her arms and walked off in the opposite direction. She blinked back some more tears before getting into the passenger seat of the car.

Jess glanced across at her as they drove off, away from the diner and away from Stars Hollow. "Are you ok?" He asked cautiously.

"I'm fine." Charlotte said quietly, sniffing slightly.

"We can turn back if you want." Jess said.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised, turning to him.

"I don't want you to regret your choice. I don't want you to think I pushed you into this. I never wanted this to come between you and your mom." He said softly. "Say the word and I'll drive you back."

Charlotte saw the worry in his face and gave him a small smile. "No. I want this." She said softly.

"Really?" He asked. "Even with your mom..."

"My mom has her opinion but I'm not going to let her stop me from pursuing my dreams. This is what I want to do. I know that now. I never wanted to go to college, not really. I just wanted to go to please her. Yes, I enjoyed my time at Yale but it's time I do my own thing. Something I've worked my whole life to do." She said. "You offered me my ideal job. So don't you dare feel bad about this. I want this." She said firmly.

"Ok." Jess said.

"It's the start of a new chapter." Charlotte said softly, giving him a small smile.

"Yeah. It is." He smiled.

Charlotte smiled at him before turning her gaze back outside the window, thinking about what life was going to be like now. _Was she going to succeed at this job? Was she going to let Jess down if she didn't? Was her mom ever going to forgive her?_ She sighed and shut her eyes, hoping to doze off for a bit seeing as they had a long journey ahead of them and hoping to shut out the world just for a little bit.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming. I really love reading what you all think and it's you guys that really motivate me to continue this so thank you! :)**


	61. Chapter 61

**I'm constantly overwhelmed by your support so thank you so much! :) Here's the next chapter. I've been really nervous about this so please be nice! :P**

Chapter 59

Charlotte was hunched over the toilet looking down at the contents she had just thrown up into it. She had been in Philadelphia for three months now with Jess and it had been going really well. She was loving the job. Doing art was her passion and she was able to do that everyday there. Her and Jess were going strong as well. Jess had managed to afford a small flat near Truncheon and they had officially moved into it a couple of weeks ago. Everything was going really well until the last couple of days. Charlotte hadn't been feeling well but she didn't know why. This was the first time she had thrown up though.

* * *

Rory was hunched over the toilet looking down at the contents she had just thrown up into it. She had just gone back to Yale and was moving herself in to an apartment with Paris and Doyle. She had considered getting somewhere with Tristan but they had both mutually agreed that it would be better to get separate places and then see each other whenever they wanted. They were going strong and they didn't want to ruin that. Rory wasn't sure whether she had caught a bug or something but she had been off her food for a few days and wasn't feeling brilliant.

* * *

Lorelai was hunched over the toilet at the inn looking down at the contents she had just thrown up into it. She had been keeping busy over the summer. Rory had been at home with her but it just hadn't been the same for both of them since Charlotte had left. She hadn't spoken to her daughter since she left. She knew Rory had talked to Charlotte a few times but she knew things weren't the same as they were before. As she was looking down at the contents she had thrown up, she realised that maybe she had pushed herself too hard and made herself ill. Luke had tried to persuade her to take it easy but she wouldn't and now she wished she had.

* * *

"Charlie? Are you ok?" Jess called through the bathroom door.

Charlotte was at the sink, throwing water over her face. "I'm fine." She called back, not wanting to worry him. She opened the cupboard above the sink and suddenly spotted something and her heart sank. She suddenly realised what might be making her sick. She suddenly felt the urge to throw up again so she rushed to the toilet and threw up again. The door opened then and she felt Jess rush to her side, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I'm fine." She said weakly.

"You're obviously not. Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" He asked softly.

"I..I didn't want to worry you. I thought it was just something going round but I don't know anymore." She admitted.

"Ok, we're both not working today and I'm taking you to the doctor's." Jess said.

"No!" Charlotte said quickly.

"Charlotte, you're not well..." He said.

"I mean, you've got that really important meeting today. You can't miss that. I'll stay here for the morning and see how I am and if I'm still feeling bad, I'll go to the doctor's. I promise." She said. She could see him hesitating. "I'll keep my phone with me ok? I'll keep you updated. I've probably just eaten something bad or something."

Jess sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "I don't want to leave you like this. It feels wrong." He said.

"I'll be fine, I promise." She assured him. "Go to Truncheon. I'll take it easy. I'll be fine." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure. I'll probably just go back to bed for a few hours." She nodded.

"Ok. But you keep your phone by your side, promise me that. And answer if I call because I'll worry otherwise." Jess said.

"I promise." Charlotte nodded.

"Ok." Jess sighed, giving her a kiss on the side of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said before watching him leave. She heard the front door open and close so she quickly got up and went into their bedroom. She grabbed some clothes and got dressed before leaving the flat and getting herself in her car.

Several hours later, she found herself back in Stars Hollow. She had gone to Yale but Paris had told her that Rory had gone out really early and she didn't know where. Charlotte tried ringing her but couldn't get through. That was why she found herself stood outside the diner. She took a deep breath before walking in. She hadn't been back since she left for Philadelphia and she hadn't seen or spoken to Luke since then either as she didn't want him to feel in the middle of her and her mom's fight. But now she needed to talk to someone. She saw Luke come out from the kitchen and stop when he spotted her.

"Charlotte..." He said surprised.

"Hi.." She said nervously.

Luke put the plates of food he was holding down on the counter. "What are you doing here? Is everything ok?" He asked concerned.

Charlotte felt tears in her eyes and before she knew what she was doing, she ran forward and flung her arms round him, finding comfort in the hug. "I don't know what to do." She sniffed. "I don't know what to do."

"Lane, have you got things here?" Luke asked Lane who was looking concerned as well.

She nodded. "Everything's fine here." Lane assured him.

"Come on, let's go upstairs." Luke said gently, leading Charlotte up to his old apartment. "Would you like something to drink?" He asked.

Charlotte shook her head as she sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come to you. I went to Yale but Rory wasn't around. I tried calling her but she didn't answer. I didn't know who else to go to. I needed to talk to someone and I can't go to mom because she hates me." She sniffed, wiping tears away from her cheeks.

"Your mom doesn't hate you." Luke said softly.

"She does. I haven't heard from her since I left. I've only had a few calls from Rory as well. I feel like I'm slipping away and I don't know what to do." She cried putting her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't put this all on you." She sniffed.

Luke went and sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "What's going on? Has something happened with Jess?"

"No." She shook her head. "Jess has been great."

"Ok..so what's happened?" He asked gently.

"Jess is going to hate me. Everything's screwed up and I don't know what to do." She said her voice cracking. She glanced up at him. "I think I might be pregnant." She finally admitted.

Luke felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him. "What?" He said shocked.

"I...I've not been feeling well. I've been throwing up and well...other things aren't happening when they should." She said awkwardly, not wanting to discuss personal woman things with Luke.

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Have you done a test?" He asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "Not yet. I'm worried about what it's going to say." She said quietly. "Everyone's going to hate me. Mom's going to hate me more, Rory's going to be disappointed in me, Jess is going to want to end it and you...well you can't even look at me at the moment." She sniffed.

"Hey.." He said softly, turning to her. "Look at me." He said.

"What?" She said quietly glancing at him.

"I'm here for you ok? Whatever happens. You're not going to lose me. It's just a shock, that's all. But I'm here for you." Luke assured her.

Charlotte felt more tears fall. "Thank you." She said tremulously. "I'm so glad mom married you."

"Come here." Luke said pulling her into a hug. "Everything will be ok, I promise." He said.

"Luke!" Rory's voice suddenly called.

"Rory?" Luke said surprised, hearing Rory come up the stairs. "What's wrong?" He asked hearing the frantic tone in her voice.

Rory appeared at the doorway. "Do you know where mom is...Charlotte?" She stopped when she saw her sister sat on the couch.

"Hi..." Charlotte said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked worried.

"I could ask you the same thing." Charlotte said, noticing that her sister wasn't exactly being herself.

"I..uh..I was wondering if Luke knew where mom was." She said quietly.

"She's working." Luke said.

"She's not. Sookie said she left about an hour ago and she's not home." Rory said.

"What?" He said confused.

"I thought you might know where she is." She said. She glanced at her sister. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I think you two should talk." Luke said. "Your sister's a bit scared."

"Scared?" Rory asked worried. "Why?"

"I...I think I might be pregnant." Charlotte said quietly, avoiding her sister's gaze.

"You what?" Rory asked stunned.

"I think..."

"Yeah I heard you. I just...can't believe it." She said.

"I know you're probably disappointed in me...Think I've been irresponsible..." Charlotte sniffed.

"What?" Rory said shocked. "No! Not at all." She said sitting down next to her sister, taking hold of her hands. "I...uh...well if I thought you were irresponsible, I'd sort of be a hypocrite." She said quietly.

"What?" Charlotte said confused.

"I...I'm in the same boat as you." She admitted.

"You think you're..." She asked stunned.

"I don't know for sure. I haven't done a test but all the signs are there." Rory said quietly. "I'm scared." She admitted.

"Me too." Charlotte said tremulously.

Luke stood there not knowing what to say. Both of his step-daughters thought they were pregnant. He didn't know what to think. He watched silently as the two sisters found comfort in each other's embrace. He took a deep breath. He knew he had to stay calm. "Ok, you two stay here. I'm going to sort this out." He said before leaving the apartment. He got to the door before turning back to them. "Charlotte, you need to ring Jess. Let him know you're ok." He said. "Promise me you will."

Charlotte sniffed but nodded. "I promise." She said.

Luke nodded and left the apartment. Once he was outside, he had to steady himself against the wall and he suddenly felt it all sink in. He took a moment to regain himself before walking slowly downstairs just as his cell rang. "Hello?" He answered.

"Where are you?" Lorelai's frantic voice said.

"What? Lorelai?" Luke said.

"Of course it's Lorelai! Who else would it be? Where are you? I just came in the diner and you're not here! And now I'm driving around and I'm freaking out!" She exclaimed.

"Ok slow down." He said. "What's going on?" He asked.

"I...I think I might be pregnant." Lorelai said.

Luke was quiet. This couldn't be happening. "Oh geez..." He let out, not meaning to say it out loud.

"What? Oh god, I knew it! You don't want this! We're not ready! I've messed everything up!" She exclaimed.

"That's not what I meant." Luke said.

"Forget it! I'm going home!" Lorelai snapped before hanging up.

"No Lorelai, wait!" Luke said but it was too late. He took a deep breath before going back upstairs. "Right, you two, come with me." He said firmly.

Charlotte and Rory followed him silently. They got in his truck with him before he drove them back to the Crap Shack.

"Come on." He said letting them out and heading inside with them. He was relieved to find Lorelai there. "Don't hang up on me again like that!" He exclaimed. "You can't just dump that on me and then hang up!"

"Luke? What are you...?" Lorelai said surprised. "Charlotte? Rory?" She said shocked to see her daughters. "What's going on?"

"Oh a lot has been going on!" Luke said. "You three sit here and don't move." He said before leaving the three of them at the house.

The three Gilmore girls were sat on the couch staring ahead of them, none of them saying anything. They were all lost in their own thoughts. About half an hour later, Luke came back and handed them both a bag with a pregnancy test. "We're going to do this now. Lorelai, you go upstairs. Rory, downstairs. And Charlotte, I'll take you to the diner apartment to do yours." Luke said calmly.

"Wait, what?" Lorelai said stunned, looking at her daughters who were avoiding her gaze.

Luke let out a big breath. "Trust me, if it's a shock to you, think about what it was like for me when the three women in my life come to me and tell me they might be pregnant." He said. He sighed. "Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we'll all know." He said before leaving with Charlotte.

* * *

After three minutes, Lorelai was stood in her bathroom upstairs looking in the mirror. She took a deep breath before slowly and nervously looking down at the stick she was holding.

* * *

After three minutes, Rory was stood in the bathroom downstairs looking in the mirror. She took a deep breath before slowly and nervously looking down at the stick she was holding.

* * *

After three minutes, Charlotte was stood in the bathroom in the diner apartment looking in the mirror. She took a deep breath before slowly and nervously looking down at the stick she was holding.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke was sat at the table in the diner apartment, his head in his hands. The next few seconds could potentially change all of their lives for good...

 **So like I said, I was really nervous about doing this chapter so I really hoped you liked the twist! Sorry about the cliffhanger but I've got to keep you wanting to come back for more! :P Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think. Thanks! :)**


	62. Chapter 62

**Wow thank you so much for your response to the last chapter! :) Here's the next one. It's a bit shorter but I wanted to get something up for you and I'm going out later. I promise the next one will be longer! :)**

Chapter 60

Luke was sat at the table with his head in his hands, the waiting killing him. He looked up when he heard the bathroom door open and he saw Charlotte's tear-stained face. "Charlotte?" He said, getting up.

"I've screwed everything up." She said her voice cracking.

"It's positive?" Luke asked quietly.

"I'm pregnant." Charlotte said, tears starting to fall.

"Oh Charlotte..." Luke said softly going over to pull her into a hug.

"I'm not even 21 yet. I can't be a mom. I'd be rubbish!" She sobbed into his chest.

"Hey, don't talk like that. You wouldn't be a rubbish mom." He said hugging her tightly.

Charlotte suddenly felt her cell vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and had a look. 5 unread messages and 3 missed calls. All from Jess. Her cell then rang again. "It's Jess." She said quietly.

"You should talk to him." Luke said gently.

"I can't." She said tremulously. "We've not even talked about kids. He won't want this. I can't tell him. I just can't." She said declining the call before going to sit on the couch with her head in her hands.

"Ok, you sit here. I'll be back in a minute." Luke said. He took one last look at his step-daughter and then reluctantly left the apartment. He shut the door and then let out a big breath. He then slowly brought out his phone and rang a number. "Jess?" He said.

"Luke?" Jess said surprised. "Look, I don't want to seem rude but I'm waiting to hear from Charlotte. She's not been well and now I can't get through to her. She said she was going to rest at the flat but she's not here."

Luke took a deep breath. "I know. She's here." He said.

"She's in Stars Hollow?" Jess asked surprised.

Luke realised Charlotte mustn't have called him when she said she would. "Yeah she's here. I think you should come." He said.

"Why? What's going on? She's ok right?" Jess asked worried.

"I just think you should come." Luke said.

"Luke..."

"She's ok. She's just...I really think you should come. She needs you." He said.

"I'll leave now." He said.

"Ok good." Luke said. "Drive safe." He said before hanging up. He then headed downstairs and went out to his truck. He got in and then drove back to the Crap Shack. He took a deep breath before going in. He saw Rory coming out of the bathroom downstairs. "Well?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"It's negative." Rory said, relief evident on her face.

Luke let out a breath. At least both his step-daughters weren't pregnant. "Thank god..." He said. He then saw Lorelai coming down.

"I'm not pregnant." Lorelai said quietly. "You were right, I must have just been working myself too hard."

"Ok." He said.

"Are you disappointed?" She asked quietly.

Luke sighed. "Maybe, a little." He admitted. "But I think things happen for a reason..."

"Where's Charlotte?" Rory asked. "Has she done hers?"

Luke looked at Lorelai nervously. "Yeah she's done hers..."

"Why isn't she here? Oh god...she's pregnant isn't she?" Lorelai said stunned. "If she wasn't, she'd be here..."

"She's in a state." He said. "She's at the apartment." He glanced at his wife. "I know you and her have gone through some stuff but I really think she needs her mom right now. Put everything aside for now, please. She needs you, Lorelai." He said softly.

Lorelai blinked back some tears and nodded. "Take me to her." She said quietly.

Luke nodded and drove her and Rory back to the diner. They headed up to the apartment, Lorelai going in first. "Charlotte?" She said softly as her heart broke, seeing her daughter distraught on the couch.

Charlotte looked up. "Mom..." She cried.

"Oh hon..." Lorelai said softly. "Come here." She said holding out her arms.

Charlotte didn't need to be asked again and she got up and ran to her mom, launching herself in her arms, finally finding comfort in her mom after so many months of not talking.

Luke stood back with Rory and let them have their moment. He knew they both needed this.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai, Luke and Rory were sat in the living room in silence. Charlotte had locked herself in her and Rory's bedroom for two hours already. She and Lorelai had talked but Lorelai had started talking about Jess and how maybe this wouldn't have happened if Charlotte had stayed at Yale. Charlotte had got herself worked up again and things got heated which led to her locking herself in the bedroom.

"Should I try again?" Rory said quietly.

"She'll come out when she's ready." Lorelai shook her head.

"Why did you have to say what you did?" Rory accused her.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"This could have happened even if Charlotte had stayed at Yale! She would have still seen Jess." Rory said. "Why couldn't you just be supportive for once?" She snapped before getting up and going to the bedroom. "Charlotte?" She said knocking on the door. "Please come out."

"Go away." Charlotte said.

"Please! We just want to support you. I'm worried about you." Rory said softly. "Please?"

Just then there was a knock on the front door. Luke went to open it and saw Jess. "Jess." He said relieved.

"Where is she? Is she ok?" Jess asked.

"She's..uh..locked herself in her bedroom." Luke said.

"What?" Jess said walking past him through to the living room.

"Jess, wait!" Luke said rushing after him.

Jess cautiously glanced over at Lorelai who was on the couch and Rory who was by their bedroom. "What's going on?" He asked. "You're scaring me now. Why won't Charlotte answer my calls? She is ok, right?"

Luke sighed. "Jess..." He said gently.

"What is it?"

"She's..uh..she's pregnant." Luke said quietly.

"What?" Jess said stunned.

"She was in a state when she came to the diner. She finally told me she thought she might be pregnant..." Luke admitted. "So I got her test..."

"And it was positive..." Jess said quietly.

"Yeah." Luke nodded, glancing at him trying to gauge his reaction. "She's in a state, Jess. She thinks you're going to leave her because of it. She's scared."

Jess sat down on the back of the couch, rubbing his hands through his hair. "Wow..." He said, having not expected this.

"She needs you, Jess." Luke said gently. "She needs all the support she can get."

"I'll talk to her." He said quietly.

"Good luck." Lorelai mumbled. "She won't talk to anyone."

"Yeah because you had a go at her." Rory said coming into the living room. She gave Jess a small smile. "I've tried but she's not coming out. You should try."

Jess nodded, glancing at Lorelai cautiously, before walking to their bedroom door. He took a deep breath before knocking on it. "Charlie?" He said softly. "Charlie, it's me. Please open the door."

There was silence and then he heard some movement behind the door. "Jess?" Charlotte's voice said quietly.

"Luke's told me what's going on." Jess said cautiously. "Please open the door. I'm here, Charlotte. I'm not going anywhere." He said softly. He sighed when there was silence but then suddenly he heard the door unlocking and slowly it opened, revealing Charlotte who had obviously been crying. "Hey." He said softly.

Charlotte felt more tears fall down her cheeks and then launched herself at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." She sobbed.

"Shh, it's ok." Jess said comfortingly, rubbing her back. "Why are you sorry? You have nothing to be sorry about."

"We never discussed this. We're not ready..." She sniffed.

"Maybe we never discussed this but it's happened and it's just as much on me than it is on you. It takes two to make a baby." He said. Jess pulled away gently and held her face with his hands, gently wiping away some tears. "We'll get through this. Together." He assured her.

"You're not leaving me." She asked tremulously.

"Don't be silly." Jess said giving her a kiss. "I love you, Charlotte, and whatever happens, whatever we decide to do, I'll be here right next to you. I'm not going anywhere." He said softly.

Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile. "I love you." She said.

"Come here." Jess said pulling her into another hug. "I love you too. So much."

 **So I deliberated and deliberated about the outcome of this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it! :) Please do let me know what you think as I was extremely nervous about doing this. Thanks! :)**


	63. Chapter 63

**Thank you so much for all your continued support! It really does mean so much to me! :)**

Chapter 61

"So...we're having a baby?" Jess said as he sat down on Charlotte's bed with her. They'd gone in there for some privacy.

Charlotte glanced at him. "How can you be so calm about it?" She asked quietly.

"I'm not but there's not much we can do about it now, is there?" He said. He glanced at her. "We do have options though." He said cautiously.

"I can't get rid of it." She said quietly. "I just...I can't." She admitted.

"That's ok. I don't think I'd be able to do that either." Jess admitted.

"So...I guess we're keeping it?" She said quietly.

"I guess so." Jess said slowly.

"I'm scared." Charlotte admitted.

"Me too." Jess said.

"I thought you never got scared." Charlotte said smirking slightly.

Jess chuckled. "Nah, even I get scared sometimes. Especially when I know we're going to be responsible for a kid..." He said.

Charlotte sighed. "Are we ready for this?"

"We're going to have to be." Jess said. He glanced at her. "But I don't want you to stress or worry. I'm not going anywhere ok?" He said firmly. "I'm not going to be like my dad and ditch. I'm going to be here for you and for our kid."

Charlotte smiled at him and took hold of his hands. "Thank you." She said softly. "Because I really can't do this by myself."

"You won't have to." Jess shook his head.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. Luke told me to but I was just in a state. I didn't know what to do." Charlotte sighed.

"It's ok." Jess said. "I know now."

"I swear I didn't even think this was a possibility until this morning. I realised I was late and it just clicked."

"I'll book you a doctor's appointment. Get it confirmed and see how far gone you are." He said.

"Can we go home now?" She asked.

"You don't want to stay here for the night?" He asked surprised.

"I can't." She said quietly. "Mom...well I can tell she doesn't approve. I just want to go home. With you." She said trying to keep tears at bay.

"Ok." Jess said softly, getting up. He held out his hand. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Charlotte smiled at him and nodded, taking his hand and getting up.

They went back out through to the living room where Lorelai, Luke and Rory were. "We're going to get off." Jess told them.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"We're going home." Charlotte said quietly.

"Yeah we need to organise a doctor's appointment." Jess said.

"Wait, you're keeping it?" Lorelai asked stunned.

"Why wouldn't we?" Charlotte frowned.

"I just...I thought..." Lorelai said.

"You thought I'd just get rid of our baby?" She said angrily.

"I didn't mean that." Lorelai backtracked.

"Yes you did!" Charlotte exclaimed. "You told us when you found out you were pregnant with us, you never even thought about getting rid of us! Well that's the same for me. We've talked and we're going to make this work. Jess is making good money at Truncheon and so am I but you would know that already if you paid any attention at all to what we're doing!"

"Charlie..." Jess said softly. "Don't get yourself so worked up. It's not good for the baby."

"And you're ok with all of this? Becoming a dad? Getting stuck with a family life? What if you get bored?" Lorelai asked Jess.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jess frowned. "Charlotte is everything to me. And I'm going to be there for her and for our kid. And if you think I would be any other way, you really don't know me at all. Come on." He said to Charlotte, who followed him out, glaring at her mom while they did.

Charlotte and Jess walked towards Jess' car but suddenly heard Rory rushing after them. "Charlotte!"

"What?" Charlotte snapped, turning round. "Don't go all moral on me now! I'm not going to apologise to mom."

"I wasn't going to ask you to." Rory said. "I just...I know things haven't been exactly normal between us lately but I want you to know that I'm here for you. Whatever you need." She said. She looked at Charlotte. "You're my sister. And I'm going to be an aunt. I want you to know that I'm here for you." She said quietly.

Charlotte softened a bit. "Thanks." She said softly.

"I love you." Rory said giving her a hug. She then gave Jess a hug as well. "Take care of her."

"I will." Jess nodded. He then noticed Luke standing on the porch. "I'll be right back." He told Charlotte before walking up to his uncle. "Thanks for being there for Charlotte when she needed you." He said gruffly.

"You don't need to thank me." Luke said. He sighed. "Lorelai will come round." He said.

"I hope she does. Charlotte needs her right now even if she won't admit it." Jess said.

Luke nodded. "I know." He said. "But in the meantime, if you need anything..." He said gruffly.

"You're there. Thanks." Jess nodded.

"I know no one's actually said this yet but congratulations nephew." Luke gave him a small smile, bringing him into a hug. "You'll be a great dad."

"Thanks." He said quietly, really needing to hear that.

"Drive safe ok? And look after her." He said.

"I will." Jess gave him a small smile. "I'll ring you."

"Do." Luke nodded.

* * *

"5 weeks." Charlotte said as they walked into their apartment a couple of days later after having seen the doctor. "It seems so real now." She said.

"Yeah." Jess said. "How are you feeling? Anymore sickness?" He asked.

"Not today thankfully." She said.

"What do you fancy eating?" He asked.

"Pancakes?"

"Seriously?" Jess sighed.

"Hey, it's our baby's choice!" She grinned.

Jess smirked. "That excuse will only work until you actually give birth." He said.

"That's ok with me!" Charlotte grinned.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Charlotte went to open it. "Oh hey!" She smiled at Chris and Matt who were standing there.

"So rumour has it, the power couple at our work are having a baby!" Chris joked.

"Rumour's right." Charlotte laughed.

"Congratulations!" Matt said.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"So your men work then?" Chris smirked at Jess.

"Stop!" Jess rolled his eyes.

"No but seriously congratulations!" Chris smirked.

"You'll be great parents." Matt nodded.

"Cheers." Jess smirked at his friends.

"And your kid will have the most fun uncles ever!" Chris grinned.

"Now that's a scary thought." Jess chuckled.

Just then there was a knock on the door again. "God we're popular today!" Charlotte laughed as she went to answer it. She froze when she saw who it was. "Grandma..." She said.

"So my own granddaughter didn't think it fit to tell me that she's thrown her life away?" Emily demanded pushing past her into the apartment.

"I haven't thrown my life away!" Charlotte frowned.

"Really? Dropping out of Yale, moving in with your hoodlum of a boyfriend and now getting pregnant?" She exclaimed. "I knew he was trouble!" She said glaring at Jess.

"Now hang on a minute..." Jess frowned.

"Grandma, how do you even know?" Charlotte asked.

"Your mother..." Emily started.

"Oh great! My mom came running to you huh?" Charlotte said angrily.

"She was worried about you. She thought I could talk some sense into you." Emily said stiffly.

"Yeah and what sort of sense? What's your plan then?" She frowned.

"You go back to Yale and you get far away from him." Emily said glaring at Jess.

Charlotte laughed. "That's your plan? Really?"

"What's so funny?" Emily asked narrowing her eyes.

"You've spent years telling mom that we needed a mother and a father and now you think depriving my baby of a dad is the right thing to do?" She exclaimed.

"When the father will be incompetent, yes."

Charlotte shook her head. "You're both hypocrites. You judge Jess because I'm pregnant. It takes two to make a baby, you know. And Jess has been great! He'll be a great dad."

"You're far too young! You're too immature to be parents. You've ruined your life! I always knew something would happen with you! Rory would never get into this situation. The kid would be better off without you." Emily said without thinking.

"Get out." Jess said as Charlotte stood there stunned and hurt at what she had just said.

"Excuse me?" Emily retorted.

"I said get out." Jess said deadly seriously. "I get that you don't like me. I'm used to that. But I've been civil to you anyway for Charlotte's sake but now I will not have you come into our home and talk to Charlotte like that."

"I think you should leave." Chris said joining in, stepping in front of Jess and Charlotte.

"You know where the door is." Matt said joining Chris.

"And who do you think you are?" Emily said rudely.

"We're their friends. And we won't have you talk to them like that. Ok, we haven't known them long but we know they will be great parents." Chris said.

Emily glared at them and then her granddaughter. "If you stay here, you will receive nothing from us at all. No money, no anything." She said.

"We don't need your money. We make enough as it is." Charlotte glared at her. "And if you think you'll ever see your great grandchild, think again. And you can tell my mom that as well." She said blinking back tears.

Emily glared at her before turning round and storming out.

Jess glanced at Charlotte. "Are you ok?" He asked softly.

"We'll leave you to it." Matt said.

Jess nodded at them. "Thanks. For what you said." He smiled gratefully at them.

"It's all true." Chris shrugged. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Charlotte smiled tremulously at them. She turned to Jess when they left. "I never thought my mom would go to my Grandma. She must really hate me..."

"She doesn't hate you." Jess sighed pulling her into a hug.

"Then why would she go to my Grandma behind my back? She's so ashamed of me she can't even say it to my face." She sniffed.

"Let's forget about them now. This stress can't be good for the baby." He said softly.

"I always knew she compared me with Rory." She said quietly, sighing. "Rory's the good one."

"Why didn't you tell her about Rory's pregnancy scare?" Jess asked.

She shrugged. "Rory's been really supportive. She doesn't deserve that."

"Fair enough." Jess said. He sighed. "Come on, pancakes are nearly ready. Let's feed that baby of ours."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Sounds good." She said quietly, wiping the tears away from her face. "I'm just going to clean myself up." She said.

"Ok." Jess nodded.

Charlotte went to the bathroom and let out a breath. She looked at herself in the mirror before taking out her cell. She scrolled through her contacts before starting to type a message to her mom. _You and me. We're done. You'll never see me or your grandchild. I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment._ She blinked back her tears before pressing send. She put her cell back in her pocket before throwing some water over her face and walking back out to Jess.

 **So a bit more drama! Hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! I'm constantly overwhelmed by your support so thank you! :)**


	64. Chapter 64

**I know I keep repeating myself but your support really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)**

Chapter 62

Several weeks had passed and a lot had happened. Charlotte and Jess were preparing for an open day at Truncheon with Chris and Matt to hopefully get some new business but to also show off the books they have and also some of Charlotte's art pieces, which will be hung up on the wall. The business was going well and they were excited about showing it off to everyone. Charlotte and Lorelai hadn't spoken since Charlotte had sent the text to her. Sookie had arranged a christening for Martha and Davey and had asked Charlotte to be godmother to Davey while Rory was godmother to Martha. It had been an awkward event since her mom had been there as well and had refused to talk to her but she didn't care. Sookie's kids meant a lot to her and she was there for Sookie and Davey and Martha. It was also nice for her to see Rory and Luke who she hadn't seen for a few weeks. She'd found out from Rory that their mom had adopted a dog which surprised her knowing their past encounters with pets but Rory had assured her that Babette was helping out. Hearing about Rory's life and everything going on in Stars Hollow really made Charlotte feel a bit isolated from everything. It was upsetting but she still had Jess. Jess had been great to her and had been there for anything she needed.

This one morning, they were in the waiting room at the hospital for their 12 week scan. They were soon called through and Charlotte lay down on the bed. Dr Walsh came in and smiled at them both. "Are you ready to see your baby then?" She smiled at them both.

"Yeah I think so." Charlotte smiled nervously, reaching for Jess' hand. It was the first time they would see their baby on screen.

Dr Walsh smiled at them and started the usual process for the scan. "There you go." She said turning the screen towards them.

"Wow.." Charlotte said quietly, looking at the screen when they could clearly see the outline of the baby.

"Seems real now, right?" Dr Walsh smiled.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said not being to take her gaze away from the screen.

"How are you doing dad?" Dr Walsh smirked at Jess.

Charlotte glanced at Jess who was just staring at the scan and she could see him blinking back tears. She squeezed his hand. "Pretty incredible huh?" She said softly.

"You could say that again." Jess said gruffly.

"Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" Dr Walsh asked.

"Oh, we hadn't really thought." Charlotte said.

"There's no pressure." She reassured them.

Charlotte looked at Jess. "What do you think? Want to find out what we're having?"

Jess smiled slightly. "I think it would be cool to know. We can start preparing and thinking of names and stuff." He said.

"Yeah you're right." She smiled softly. She turned to the doctor. "We'd like to know, please." She said.

* * *

"So someone has a big birthday on Friday..." Jess said as they ate dinner that evening in their apartment.

"Really? I'd forgotten." Charlotte said.

"A 21st birthday. Big event." He said.

"I guess." She shrugged.

"What do you want to do for it?" Jess asked.

"Nothing special." She said.

"Nothing special? But it's your birthday." He said confused.

"I'm just not into birthdays."

"You? You're not into birthdays? You, who wore green head to toe on St Patrick's day and bunny ears on Easter? And who makes a huge fuss of my birthday every year?"

"I have stock in hallmark." Charlotte shrugged.

Jess sighed. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Charlotte glanced up at him. "I'm just not excited about this particular birthday."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm turning 21."

"Ok..." Jess said still confused.

Charlotte sighed. "My mom, Rory and I have been planning for our 21st birthday since, well, my first memory is kindergarten but I have a feeling she was talking about it before then. We had this whole big thing planned."

"Ah.." He said suddenly understanding. He'd seen how the estrangement between Charlotte and Lorelai had really gotten to Charlotte.

"We were going to go to Atlantic City and sit at a blackjack table at 11:59 and we'd be playing 21 when Rory and I turned 21." She said with a small smile. "We were going to drink martini, which wouldn't happen now seeing as I'm pregnant, and win money and go buy 21 things and there was this thing including 21 guys that would be totally inappropriate now that I'm with you. But it was a pretty big thing, and...and now we're not talking so it's not going to happen. I'm just a little bummed. That's all." She admitted.

"I get it. I know you miss your mom. I know it's been hard for you." Jess said softly. "Hey, how about I take you to Atlantic City?" He offered.

"What?" She said surprised.

"We can still play 21 when you turn 21. We can buy the 21 things. I'd still vote to put the kibosh on that thing with the 21 guys. But other than that, I'm good to go." Jess said. "We've got money."

"You're sweet, but it's ok." She smiled softly. "It just...wouldn't be the same. No offence."

"I get it." He said. "How about I take you out for a meal instead?"

Charlotte smiled. "That sounds nice." She said softly.

"Meal it is then." Jess smiled.

Just then Charlotte's cell rang. She went over and answered when she saw the caller ID. "Hey Ror.." She said.

"Hey! How are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Yeah I'm ok." Charlotte said. "We're just eating though."

"Oh sorry! Well this is just a quick call..." She said. "Uh..well...Grandma's throwing me a party for my birthday." She said hesitantly.

"Oh..well..lucky you!" Charlotte said dryly.

"I couldn't say no really. It's not what I want really but we're doing something in Stars Hollow afterwards. I know you and Grandma are going through something at the moment..." Rory said cautiously.

"Going through something?" Charlotte laughed. "She basically told me my kid would be better off without me!"

"I really hoped that wasn't true." Rory said quietly.

"Wait, you knew?" She asked surprised.

Rory sighed. "Mom found out and they had this huge shouting match."

"Oh." Charlotte said surprised.

"I don't want to keep you, I was just...well I wanted to invite you to my Stars Hollow party. It's not going to be big or anything. I just...I'd really like it if you could be there." Rory said.

Charlotte groaned. "Rory..."

"Please? We've never spent a birthday apart. I want you there." Rory pleaded.

"I doubt mom does."

Rory sighed. "I think she's sorry..."

Charlotte snorted. "Yeah right."

"She was devastated when she got your text. Then she found out what Grandma had said to you and she lost it." Rory said.

"Well she shouldn't have gone to Grandma in the first place."

"I know! I'm not defending what she did but I know she regrets it hugely. She misses you." She said quietly.

"Yeah..well...she's made her bed." Charlotte said stubbornly.

"Ok fine. But please come. For me?" Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Can Jess come?"

"Of course! I thought that was obvious." Rory said.

"Ok. But if mom kicks off, I'm out of there." She warned.

"Deal. Thanks! I'll see you Friday evening then." Rory smiled.

"Yeah, see you then." She sighed before hanging up. "We're going to a Stars Hollow party." She told Jess.

"Rory's party?" He asked.

"Yep." Charlotte sighed sitting back down. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to take me out."

"It's no problem. We can go out for lunch instead and then drive down." Jess said.

"Yeah I guess." She said.

"You don't seem very excited..."

"I'm not. Mom will be there." Charlotte grumbled, starting to eat again.

* * *

"This was lovely. Thanks for persuading me to go out." Charlotte smiled softly at Jess as they sat in a restaurant near Truncheon on Friday.

"Good. I'm glad you liked it." Jess smiled.

Charlotte glanced at her watch and sighed. "We should get going if we want to get there on time."

"Ok but before we do..." Jess said reaching into his pocket. "I wanted to give you something." He said pulling out a small box.

"Jess..." Charlotte said surprised.

"Don't worry, it's not an engagement ring or anything. I just...I wanted to give you something to show you how committed I am to you and our baby." Jess said, opening the box. "It's a promise ring. One day, I want to make us official but I know you're not ready for that yet but I want to show my commitment to you."

"Jess..." She smiled softly. "You don't need to prove your commitment. I know you are."

"I know. I still wanted to show you and I wanted to buy you something." He said.

"I love it." She smiled. "Thank you." She said softly, putting it on before leaning over and giving him a kiss. "We're so lucky to have you." She said, putting one hand on her stomach where you could see the baby bump now.

"I'm the lucky one." Jess smiled. He glanced at his watch. "Ok, you're right, we should get going." He said.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte found herself sat in her and Rory's bedroom at the Crap Shack. It was weird because it just didn't feel like home anymore. It had been awkward seeing her mom and she'd spent about an hour trying to avoid her but it was hard in such a small house.

"Oh..sorry..." A voice said as the door opened.

Charlotte turned round and smiled. "Hey." She said.

"Hey." Tristan said. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm alright." She shrugged.

"I haven't had to chance to say congratulations yet. You and Jess will make great parents." He smiled at her.

"Thanks Tristan." She said softly.

"You getting some quiet time?"

"Yeah.." She sighed. "It's a bit much..."

"I can understand that." He nodded. "Rory's made up you came by the way. It means a lot to her."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "She's been great. The least I could do was come to her party."

"It's yours as well." Tristan said.

"What?"

"Well it's your birthday too. Everyone's happy you're here."

"Yeah right. I don't think my mom thinks that." Charlotte said.

"You'd be surprised." Tristan said.

Just then Rory came in. "There you are." She smiled.

"Hey." Charlotte smiled. "Sorry, I just needed some time out."

"It's fine. but you may want to come back out." She said.

"Why?"

"Kirk's trapped Jess. He's asking him lots of questions about working at the diner because he has it in his head that Luke will hire him at some point." Rory smirked.

"What? Luke would never trust Kirk at the diner." Charlotte laughed.

"Exactly!" Rory laughed. But your boyfriend looks like he's about to kill him so you might want to come and save him." She smirked.

Charlotte smirked. "I'm sure he can manage a minute longer."

"You're mean." Rory smirked.

"I'll see you out there." Tristan smiled at them, giving Rory a kiss before leaving the room.

"So how are you doing?" Rory asked her sister.

"I'm ok." She nodded.

"I feel bad that I sort of forced you to come. I know it's been hard for you. I just...it wouldn't have felt right without you here." Rory admitted.

"It's fine. You didn't force me. I'm glad I'm here." Charlotte reassured her. "It's just a bit weird, you know?"

"Yeah..."

"How was Grandma's party?" She asked.

"Alright." Rory shrugged. "You know what her parties are like. I did sneak you out a chocolate box though." She said.

"Thanks." Charlotte said, smirking slightly.

"You coming back out? I think we're cutting the cake soon." She said.

"Yeah I'm coming now. Think I've left Jess long enough." She joked, walking out with Rory.

However, as they walked out into the kitchen, they walked straight into Lorelai who was the only one in the kitchen. "I'll go save Jess." Rory told Charlotte.

"Thanks." She said, looking at her mom.

Rory walked off, leaving Charlotte and Lorelai standing there awkwardly.

"Hey." Lorelai said.

"Hi." Charlotte said, crossing her arms against her chest.

"So..uh..how are you doing?" She asked awkwardly.

"Oh just peachy." Charlotte said sarcastically.

Lorelai sighed. "I didn't know what your Grandma was going to say..." She said quietly.

"You still went to her. What do you think she was going to do? Come and congratulate me?" Charlotte said. "No, she just came to tell me what a disappointment I am and how my kid would be better off without me."

"I'm sorry." Lorelai said quietly, glancing at the door. "I..I shouldn't have gone to her. I was angry and..well..I'm sorry."

Charlotte just nodded, still having her arms crossed. She sighed. "I hear you've got a dog. Although I haven't seen any sign of a dog..."

"Paul Anka." Lorelai nodded.

"You called him Paul Anka?" She asked somewhat amused.

"Yeah." She said as if it was obvious.

"So where is he?"

"Oh he's scared of people." She said.

"You adopted a dog that's scared of people?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"And peas, and loud noises, and people watching him eat..." She nodded.

"Wow.." Charlotte said smirking slightly.

"Yeah.."

"I guess things change..." She said quietly, glancing awkwardly at her mom.

"Some things. Not everything though..." She said cautiously.

"Quite a few things." Charlotte said glancing down at her stomach.

"Everything's going ok? You're...both healthy?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"Everything's good." She nodded. "We..uh..we had our 12 week scan this week."

"Did...did you find out what you were having?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Charlotte nodded but not giving anymore than that.

"Oh. Ok." Lorelai said, realising her daughter didn't want to share it.

"Hey..." Jess said coming over to them. "Everything ok?" He asked glancing between them warily.

"Yeah. I..uh..I think I want to go now though." Charlotte said quietly.

"Ok." He said, starting to lead her out.

"Charlotte?" Lorelai said quietly.

"What?" She said turning round.

Lorelai sighed. "Good luck with everything, I guess."

"Thanks." She said quietly before leaving with Jess.

* * *

"You're looking after her?" Luke asked as he and Rory stood by Jess' car saying goodbye to them.

"Yes, I'm looking after her. Geez!" Jess rolled his eyes.

"Good." Luke said.

"He's been great, Luke." Charlotte laughed.

"Good." Luke said. "Oh..uh..I nearly forgot." He said fumbling into his pocket. "Birthday present." He said handing her a long rectangular box.

"Oh." Charlotte said surprised. "Thanks." She said taking it.

"I might as well give you yours as well." Luke said handing one to Rory as well.

"Luke..." Charlotte said stunned, opening the box to reveal a pearl necklace.

"Luke, this is beautiful!" Rory said opening hers to reveal a bracelet.

"They were my mother's. Liz can't wear them because her neck and wrists are too fat, but your neck and your wrist looks, you know, not fat." Luke said, cringing even as he said it. "They was sitting around in my drawer, so I thought, "hey, give them to Rory and Charlotte". You know you're lucky because Caesar's birthday is next month and I know he likes pearls, so..." He joked.

"Thank you." Charlotte said softly, giving him a hug, knowing how much his mother meant to him.

"Yeah thanks." Rory smiled giving him as well.

"You're welcome." Luke smiled. "Happy birthday. Both of you."

Charlotte spotted her mom stood on the porch watching them. "I'll be right back." She told Jess. She then took a deep breath before walking slowly up to her. "Luke gave us his mother's jewellery." She said quietly, glancing down at the necklace.

Lorelai smiled slightly. "It's beautiful. Suits you."

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly.

"So...you're heading back to Philadelphia tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Well...drive safe." Lorelai said quietly.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Charlotte reaching into her bag. "I don't know if you want this but I thought you should seeing as you are going to be biologically my baby's grandma." She said quietly handing over something.

"Your scan?" Lorelai asked quietly, feeling tears in her eyes.

"You can rip it up if you want." Charlotte shrugged.

"No. No, I would never do that." Lorelai said. She glanced at her daughter. "Thank you."

Charlotte nodded. "I...should get going." She said awkwardly, going to walk away.

"Charlotte?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah?" She turned round.

"Happy birthday." She said softly.

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Thanks." She said quietly. She started to walk away again before she turned back round and looked at her mom. "Congratulations by the way." She said.

"For what?" Lorelai asked confused.

"You're going to have a grandson." Charlotte said softly.

Lorelai felt tears in her eyes. "You're having a boy?" She asked softly.

"We're having a boy." She nodded.

"Oh Charlotte..." She said softly.

"I have to go." Charlotte said crossing her arms against her chest again.

"Oh. Ok. Yeah sure." Lorelai said.

"Nice party." Charlotte gave her a small smile before walking back towards the car.

Lorelai stood on the porch and watched as her daughter got in and Jess drove off. She felt some tears fall down her cheeks which she wiped away quickly. She knew she had to put things right but she didn't know how. She just hoped Charlotte would forgive her.

 **So I hope you liked it! Thanks again for all your support! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think so thanks! :)**


	65. Chapter 65

**Wow I never thought I would ever go over 400 reviews! Thank you so much! I'm really enjoying writing this so I'm glad you seem to enjoy reading it! :)**

Chapter 63

Charlotte came out of the bathroom, looking pale, the morning of the Truncheon Open Day.

"Were you sick again?" Jess asked, glancing up from the table.

"Yeah." She groaned.

"You seem to be throwing up a lot lately." He said concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm sure it's nothing." Charlotte shrugged it off, although she felt some pain in her stomach but she didn't want to worry Jess.

"Even so, maybe you should stay here." Jess said. "You shouldn't be exerting yourself if you're not feeling well."

"No, I'm fine." She shook her head.

"Charlie..."

"I said I'm fine!" She snapped. She sighed and sat down. "I'm sorry. I just...we've been working towards this day for weeks. I want to be there."

"Ok." Jess said. "But the moment you're not feeling well, tell me. Promise?"

"I promise." She nodded.

Jess glanced at her. "Did your mom rsvp to the invite?" He asked cautiously.

"No." Charlotte said quietly.

"Rory?"

"No, she's probably busy at Yale." She said.

"Well hey, it's not an rsvp event. She might still be coming." Jess said positively.

"I don't care anymore to be honest." Charlotte shrugged. "I'm not going to let her ruin this day for me. I've worked really hard for this and if she can't appreciate that, then it's her fault."

Jess glanced at her and then got up. "Come on then. We should get going. I promised Chris and Matt that we would help set up."

"Ok." She said getting up just as there was a knock on the door. She frowned. "Are you expecting someone?" She asked him.

"No." He said.

Charlotte went to answer the door and was surprised when she saw who it was. "Grandpa.." She said.

"Charlotte..." He said nervously.

"What are you doing here?" She asked confused. She hadn't heard from him since she'd dropped out of Yale.

"Forgive me." Richard said. "I'm sorry to bother you, do you have somewhere to go?"

"Actually..." Charlotte started.

"No, it's fine. She has a minute." Jess said. "I'll meet you there ok? Take as long as you need." He smiled giving her a kiss.

"Ok. Thanks." She gave him a small smile and watched him leave. She glanced at her Grandpa who was still standing there nervously. "Come in then, I guess." She said letting him in. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I...well I've been thinking." He admitted.

"Thinking? About what?" Charlotte said, crossing her arms against her chest defensively.

"I can't lie. I was disappointed when I heard you'd dropped out of Yale and when I heard you were pregnant, I was shocked." Richard said.

"Ok...what's your point?" She asked defensively.

Richard sighed. "I heard that your grandmother came to see you a few weeks ago." He said.

"She did. Why? Did she send you to tell me I'll be an unfit mother as well and that my kid would be better off without me?" Charlotte grumbled.

"No. She doesn't know I'm here." Richard said surprised. "She said that to you?"

"You didn't know?" She asked surprised.

"She didn't say anything about what was said during the visit." He said.

Charlotte sighed. "Why are you here?" She asked again.

"I wanted to apologise for not getting in touch and I wanted you to know that if you need anything, you can call me." He said.

"What? Really?" She asked surprised, not expecting that.

"I missed out on so much of your and Rory's lives. I don't want to miss out on any of my great grandchild's." Richard said. "If you'll let me be a part of your child's life."

Charlotte felt some tears in her eyes. "Of course you can be a part of his life. I want you to be." She said softly.

"He?" Richard questioned.

"Yeah." She smiled softly. "We're having a boy."

"A boy? How wonderful!" He smiled. "And you're doing well?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're good. I've been a bit sick recently but I guess that's to be expected." She said. She glanced at her watch. "I'm really sorry, Grandpa, but I should get going. Truncheon are having an open day today to show off our work and hopefully get some more business."

"Oh yes of course, I'm sorry I've kept you." Richard said, turning to leave.

"Hey Grandpa?" Charlotte said. "Why don't you come?" She asked nervously. "We're really proud of what we've achieved. Jess' book will be on show and I've illustrated some as well and will have some art pieces on display. I'd love for you to see Truncheon."

"I'd love to but I'm afraid I have a meeting to get to." Richard said disappointedly. "I will definitely come another day though, if that's ok?"

"Yeah that's fine." She smiled. "Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for coming." Charlotte smiled softly, going forward to hug him.

"You're welcome." He said gently. "I am proud of you."

"Thanks." She said softly.

* * *

The open day was in full swing an hour later and Charlotte walked up to Jess who was with Chris and Matt.

"We need our own bar." Matt was saying.

"That's not a bad idea." Charlotte quipped.

"You say it like I'm fighting. I'm not fighting you." Jess said.

"Same here." Chris said.

"We need a public place where the next De Kooning can run into the next Franz Kline and the next Jackson Pollock while the next Charlie Parker shoots up in the corner." Matt said.

"So a nice family place." Jess said.

"I'm not kidding. We'll call it 'Cedar Bar Redux'." Matt said.

"I would kick my own ass if we called it that." Jess said.

"Why don't we call it 'Devoid of Original Ideas Poseur Bar'?" Chris smirked causing Jess to laugh.

"Go to hell, both of you." Matt grumbled, walking off.

"Hey, come back for a hug, man!" Jess smirked.

"You two are mean." Charlotte smirked.

"Hey, there's Alicia Matheson from the weekly." Chris said.

"Whoa! Grab Matthew. Get him off the bar thing. Have him show her around. That's what he does best." Jess said.

"Got it." Chris nodded and walked off after Matt.

"How are you doing?" Jess smiled at Charlotte.

"I'm ok." She said sub-consciously putting a hand to her stomach.

"You sure?" He frowned.

"I'm fine." She repeated. "Hey, look who turned up!" She smiled pointing to someone.

Jess couldn't help but smile and he and Charlotte walked over to them. "So my eyes don't deceive me." Jess said.

"First thing's first. What the hell is that?" Luke asked them pointing to a painting. "Wait it isn't yours is it?" He asked Charlotte.

"Nope." She smirked.

"It's one of our abstract paintings." Jess told him.

"But what is it supposed to be?"

"Check the title."

"I did. It's called untitled."

"There you go." Jess smirked.

"I give up." Luke sighed.

"So you got the invite." Jess smiled.

"I got the invite." He nodded.

"I guess I didn't think you'd come." Jess admitted.

"You guessed wrong, nephew." Luke smiled.

"So I'm guessing mom's not with you?" Charlotte said quietly.

Luke glanced at her. "She..uh..she said she had a meeting at the inn but I'm sure she'll turn up." He said awkwardly.

"Doubt it." She sighed. "I'll leave you to it." She told Jess.

"You ok?" Jess asked.

"I'm fine. I'll go make sure Chris and Matt haven't kill each other." She said smirking slightly.

Jess chuckled. "Ok. Thanks." He said watching her walk off. "So you want the tour?" He then asked Luke.

"Give me a tour." Luke nodded.

"Alright, well this is where we work, Truncheon Books." He said. "There's usually desks and crap piled up everywhere but we cleaned up for today. Those are the books that we put out. We publish our Zine once a month, except last august, when my partner forgot to pay the printer. We let local artists hang their stuff up without ripping them off on commissions. And those three are Charlotte's." He said pointing three of the paintings out. "Oh and she illustrated these books as well."

"Cool." Luke said impressed.

"We do performances over there and Chris and Matt live upstairs. Mine and Charlotte's apartment is just round the corner. That you don't want to see. It's a disaster zone." He smirked.

"It's still cool that you wrote a book." Luke said impressed, picking Jess' book up.

"It's not exactly the Da Vinci code." Jess said humbly.

"Don't put yourself down. I read it. It's really good." Luke said.

"Thanks." He said ducking his head slightly. "Hey, come on. I got some sculpture over here you're really going to hate." He smirked.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was walking round trying to ignore the growing pains she was having. She turned round towards the door and stopped when she saw who was coming in. "You came." She said.

"Of course we came!" Rory smiled. "I couldn't miss my sister's big day!"

Charlotte smiled and went over and hugged her. "I didn't know if you were busy or something." She said. "Hey Tristan."

"Hey. This is great." Tristan smiled.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled.

"Sorry we didn't rsvp." Rory said.

"Oh it's fine. It's not really an rsvp kind of event." Charlotte said. "I'm just glad you're here." She smiled. "Come on, I'll give you a tour." She said, sending Jess a smile as she passed him and Luke.

* * *

"All I'm saying is, control your poet." Chris said.

"So suddenly he's my poet?" Matt said.

"He changed up on us. He wasn't supposed to premiere new material tonight." Jess pointed out.

"It wasn't bad." Matt said.

"It was rambling." Chris said.

"It was a little rambling."

"And what was that whole part about desiring Golda Meir?"

"Please tell me that was symbolic." Jess said.

"I'll talk to my poet." Matt sighed.

"Hey, we're hitting that bar that we're not going to call 'Cedar Bar Redux'. You coming?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Jess said spotting Charlotte sat by herself, watching Rory and Tristan who were looking through some books. "You know, go on ahead. I'll catch up." He said.

"Ok." Chris said. "Is she ok?" He asked gesturing to Charlotte.

Jess sighed. "I think she was really hoping her mom would come." He said.

"Oh." Chris said understanding. "Well take all the time you need."

"Thanks." Jess smiled at him. He smiled over at Rory and Tristan before walking over to Charlotte. "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm good. It went well, huh?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah it did." He nodded. "It was nice that they came." He said gesturing over to Rory and Tristan.

"Yeah." She smiled softly.

"Your mom could still come..." He said.

"Yeah right. It's over. The invite had the times." Charlotte said.

"Maybe she's running late? We could stay a bit longer and see?" He offered.

Charlotte sighed. "No it's fine. Look, I'm just going to get some fresh air." She said getting up.

"Why, are you not feeling good?" He asked concerned.

"I'm fine. I just feel a bit hot. That's all." Charlotte assured him. She gave him a kiss. "You go talk to Rory and Tristan. You haven't gotten to hang with Tristan for a while." She smiled. "I'll be right back."

"Ok." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled at him before heading outside. She let out a breath but suddenly she felt a huge pain in her stomach, bigger than she had felt before. "Arghh!" She groaned, doubling over, holding her stomach. She started getting scared when she got a second lot of pain. She pulled out her cell to text Jess knowing she wouldn't be able to call with this pain but she was struck with another huge pain which caused her to dropped her phone. She felt tears in her eyes. She didn't know what was happening.

"Charlotte?" A voice said.

Charlotte turned her head and she had never been so relieved to see her mom. "Mom..." She gasped.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked worried, rushing forward.

"I don't know." Charlotte said shakily, tears starting to fall. "I don't know..."

"I'm going to call an ambulance." Lorelai said taking her phone out. "Is Jess inside?"

"Yeah.." She said trying to breath out but got hit with some more pains.

"Jess!" Lorelai called loudly. She started walking away to call the ambulance but she suddenly felt Charlotte grab her hand.

"Don't go. Please." Charlotte begged, tears running down her face. "Please. I'm scared."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere ok?" Lorelai assured her daughter. "I'm not going anywhere." She said gripping Charlotte's hands tightly, while worriedly calling for the ambulance.

 **So I hope you like it! Please keep letting me know what you think! I love reading all your reviews so thank you! :)**


	66. Chapter 66

**Thought I'd treat you to another chapter! ;)**

Chapter 64

Lorelai watched as Jess paced up and down in the waiting room while Rory and Tristan sat a few seats away. They had been sat there for half an hour already. "She'll be fine." Lorelai tried to reassure him.

"How do you know that?" Jess snapped. "And why do you even care?"

"Jess..." Lorelai tried but just then the doctor reappeared.

"How is she?" Jess asked straight away.

"Charlotte's fine. We've managed to ease the pain for her and she's resting at the moment." The doctor said.

"And the baby?" Jess asked nervously.

"The baby's fine." The doctor smiled. "Charlotte was experiencing some abdominal pains but we've done several tests and an ultrasound and the baby's just fine." She reassured him.

Jess let out a huge breath. "Thank you." He said. "Do you..uh..do you know what caused it?" He asked, hoping there was something they could do to prevent it happening again.

"Abdominal pains can be caused by stress. Was there anything causing Charlotte to be stressed lately? Maybe work?" The doctor asked.

"Work's been fine. I've been making sure she doesn't take on too much." Jess said. He glanced at Lorelai who was looking at the floor. "She has been upset though." He said.

"It's my fault." Lorelai admitted. "Charlotte and I, well we haven't exactly been talking lately."

"I see." The doctor said. "Well Charlotte could do with as much support as she can get. So I would advise against anymore stress."

"I'll make sure she takes it easy." Jess said. "Can I see her?"

"She's in room 201." The doctor smiled. "Take as long as you want."

"Thanks." Jess smiled gratefully. He let out a breath when the doctor walked off.

"Jess..." Lorelai tried again.

"Don't." Jess shook her head. "Don't even try."

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"You're sorry?" Jess scoffed. "Charlotte has spent months upset and stressed because her own mother wouldn't accept her decisions. I get it was a shock her dropping out of Yale and I know you think I'm the devil incarnate for that and the pregnancy wasn't planned but it happened. All Charlotte wanted was her mom to support her! She needed you and you just totally ignored her. For months!"

"She told me to stay away!" Lorelai defended.

"You think she meant that?" Jess scoffed. "She sent that because she was angry and upset. Her own grandmother had just told her she was going to be a rubbish mom! And she found out you'd gone to her behind Charlotte's back! How did you expect her to react? She cried herself to sleep, Lorelai! She was devastated! And now we could have lost our baby because of it!" He said angrily. "I know you hate me but Charlotte and that baby. Our son! Now I've tried encouraging her to talk to you but right now, I couldn't care less because they mean everything to me so if you're just going to make Charlotte even more upset, I suggest you leave. I'm going to go see my girlfriend." He said before walking off, leaving Lorelai sat there stunned.

Jess took a deep breath before stepping into Charlotte's room. "Hey.." He said softly.

"Hey." She smiled weakly as she sat in the bed. "The doctor said we should be ok. Both of us." She said placing her hand over her stomach.

"Yeah. She told us." Jess nodded going to sit down next to her.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were having pains?" Jess sighed. "If we're doing this, we have to be totally honest with each other."

"I know. I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly. "I just...I didn't want to worry you."

"I'd rather worry about you but get you checked out rather than be totally freaked out by you being put in an ambulance!" Jess said.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. "I promise, I will tell you everything from now on. I just...I thought I'd lost him." She said feeling tears fall. "I thought I'd lost our baby and you would hate me."

"Hey, come here." Jess said softly, leaning over to bring her into a hug. "I'm not angry. I'm just...I was totally freaked out. So please...just promise me you'll talk to me next time instead of trying to protect me."

"I promise." She sniffed. "The doctor wants me to stay the night just to make sure." She said quietly.

"Sounds sensible." Jess nodded. He glanced at her. "The doctor said that stress probably caused this." He said cautiously.

"Yeah. I know." Charlotte said quietly.

"I know you've been busying yourself with work to distract you from other things but I can't let you do that anymore. Not when there's a risk to your and our son's health." He said. He then sighed. "This thing between you and your mom...it needs to get sorted or else you're going to make yourself ill."

"Is she out there?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. Well I think she still is." Jess said. He saw Charlotte give him a confused look. "I may have shouted at her." He admitted sheepishly.

"What? Why?" She asked surprised.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "I was stressed and angry and I took it out on her. When I found out this was caused by stress, I just...I lost it." He admitted. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Charlotte smiled softly at him. "I think it's time for me to talk to her though."

Jess nodded. "I'll make myself scarce." He said getting up.

Charlotte grabbed hold of his hand. "You'll come back though, right?" She asked.

"Of course." He smiled softly, giving her a kiss. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"No yelling." He said.

Charlotte smiled sheepishly. "I promise."

"Good. I'll go grab some food and come back later." Jess said, giving her another kiss before leaving. He went out to the waiting room and saw Lorelai was still sat there. He noticed Rory and Tristan were no longer there though. "Where's Rory and Tristan?" He asked walking up slowly to her.

"Oh..uh..they've gone to get something to eat at the canteen." Lorelai said looking up at him.

"Oh. Right." He said. Jess glanced at her and sighed. "Charlotte wants to see you." He said.

"She does?" She asked quietly.

"Yep." He said.

"And what do you think about that?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't think it's any of my business. Charlotte wants to see you. It's her choice." Jess said. "But if I find out that you've upset her..."

"I won't." Lorelai said quickly. "I promise."

Jess just nodded and started to walk away.

"Jess?"

"What?" He said turning round.

"I...I think I owe you an apology." Lorelai said guiltily.

"Lorelai..." Jess sighed.

"No, let me get this out. I blamed you ok?" She admitted. "It was wrong but I did. All my life I wanted Charlotte and Rory to be able to do everything I never got to do. So when Charlotte said she was dropping out, I was shocked. I saw you as the reason she was doing it so I took the easiest route and took it out on you rather than actually listening to her. And then..well...when she found out she was pregnant, all I could do was think back to how I had to raise them all by myself because their dad wasn't around."

"I would never walk away from my kid." Jess said gruffly.

"I know that. I do know that. But at the time, well, I took the easiest route again by taking it out on you." Lorelai sighed. She glanced at him. "I screwed up big time with Charlotte, I know that. I should have been there to support her rather than being exactly like my mother. God I told myself I would never turn into my mother!"

Jess smirked slightly. "Well, I don't think you're as bad as Emily."

"Thanks but I think I've acted exactly like my mother." Lorelai said. "I know you love Charlotte, Jess. I know you would never walk away from her. But I worry. I know I shouldn't but I do. It's what parents do. You'll understand that when you have your kid."

Jess nodded. He looked at her. "Just make things right. Charlotte wants you there. She really misses you. Tell her what you've told me and I'm sure she'll understand."

Lorelai nodded. "Thanks." She said.

"For what?"

"For being there for my daughter when I wasn't." She said.

"I will always be there for her." He said.

"I know." Lorelai smiled at him.

"I'm going to go get some food. Go talk to Charlotte." He said before walking off.

* * *

Lorelai was sat waiting for Charlotte to wake up as she had dozed off for a bit. After about twenty minutes, she saw her daughter's eyes open. "Hey." She said.

"Hey.." Charlotte said, sitting up straighter.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Better." Charlotte said. "The pain's gone."

"Good." Lorelai said. She sighed. "So your boyfriend sort of gave me some home truths..."

"I heard about that..." She said cautiously. "He is sorry for that. I think this...me being in hospital and..well him, well both of us, thinking we might have lost the baby...I think it just freaked him out..."

"I know." She nodded. "I don't blame him. I deserved it."

Charlotte looked at her mom. "I've missed you, mom." She said quietly, feeling tears in her eyes.

"Oh hon, I've missed you too." Lorelai said, leaning forward to give her a hug. "I've been a bitch..."

"Mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"No, I have been! I've been acting like your grandmother and I'm so sorry." Lorelai said. "The thought that you could have lost my grandson because of me, makes me feel sick. That you could have lost your son. I'm so so sorry I caused you that stress."

"It's ok." Charlotte said quietly.

"No, it's not." Lorelai shook her head feeling her eyes fill up. "I should have been there to support you. With your job, with the baby...I should have been there for you."

"Well you're here now..." She said.

"How can you forgive me so easily?" Lorelai asked surprised, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"Because...well I can understand why you acted like you did." Charlotte sighed. "I know you've always wanted me and Rory to graduate from college. You've wanted us to have everything."

"But I should have listened to you. I should have listened that college wasn't really what you wanted." Lorelai said.

"It was to start with." Charlotte said. "It really was. But then Jess offered me the job and it...well it was too good to say no to. And I really love it, mom. We're doing really well. Chris and Matt are cool and I love working alongside Jess. I'm doing good, mom." She said softly.

"I'm happy for you." Lorelai said. She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't make the open day. My meeting overran and then I hit traffic."

"It's ok." Charlotte said. "You can see it some other time."

"I'd like that." She smiled softly.

Charlotte smiled at her mom. "I want you to be a part of my son's life, mom." She said softly.

"I'd really like that too." Lorelai smiled tremulously.

"I've missed you, mom." Charlotte said.

"Oh kid, you have no idea." Lorelai said pulling her into another hug again, just as the door opened.

"Hey, look who I found!" Jess said coming in with Rory and Tristan.

Charlotte smiled at them. "Hey..." She said softly.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	67. Chapter 67

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 65

Jess glanced across at Charlotte and smirked. "Can't you sit still for like a minute?" He teased as he drove them through Stars Hollow.

"Sorry." Charlotte smiled sheepishly. "I'm just excited."

"You only saw them two weeks ago!" Jess chuckled.

"I know but it's different now!" Charlotte said. "I know I was here for the party but it was all still weird then. Now it feels like I'm coming home." She said. She smirked at him. "Sorry. I'll behave." She said, trying to stay still.

Jess smirked. "Nah it's ok. I just like teasing you."

"Despot." Charlotte joked. She smiled as she returned her gaze to outside the window. They were driving through the square and it felt so familiar. It had been a week since Charlotte's scare at the hospital and two weeks since she was here for the party. But this time it was totally different. She was happy to be back. It felt right.

Jess smirked when he saw Charlotte start to bounce up and down as he turned into the driveway of the Crap Shack. "So I'll head straight to the diner." He said. "Give Luke a hand and let you and your mom have some time together."

"You don't have to." Charlotte said.

"I know. But it's fine. You two should have some time. I'll see you later." Jess smiled.

"Lunch?" She said.

"Sure." He nodded. He jumped when she suddenly squealed and he had to laugh when he watched Charlotte jump out of the car and run towards Lorelai who was running out the house with the same gusto. "Like mother, like daughter." He smirked getting out. "I'll see you for lunch!" He called over to them.

"Bye! Give Luke a hug from me!" Charlotte grinned.

"A manly handshake is all I can offer." Jess smirked before walking off.

"Did I scare him off?" Lorelai joked.

Charlotte laughed. "No, he just figured we'd want some time alone. He said he'd give Luke a hand at the diner. I'm going to meet him there for lunch. Fancy joining us?"

"Aw I wish I could but I have to meet up with Sookie about something with the inn." Lorelai said. "It won't take long though. I can meet you after I've finished."

"Ok cool." Charlotte nodded. She smiled as they walked in. "I love this house." She smiled a satisfied smile.

"I think it has a high opinion of you as well." Lorelai joked. "So dump your stuff here. I've got a surprise to show you." She grinned.

"What?" Charlotte asked putting her bag down.

"Follow me!" She grinned leading her upstairs.

"Wow you've expanded!" Charlotte noted looking at the extended hallway.

"Yeah we got our bathroom done up here. Two sinks now!" She said.

"Fancy." She smirked.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to show you. This is." She said leading her over to the other room. "You know how this was my sewing room?"

"Yeah." Charlotte nodded.

"Well, we've changed it a bit." Lorelai said. "Have a look." She smiled nervously, opening the door.

Charlotte stood there stunned. "You've changed it into a nursery..." She said softly.

"It was Luke's idea." Lorelai admitted. "But I decorated it. I helped paint and everything! I know it's yellow but we wanted to go for a neutral colour since we didn't know the sex when we did it. You can always change it."

"No." Charlotte said still surprised. "I love it." She said softly, going over to the crib and running her hands along it. "Did Luke make this?" She asked.

Lorelai nodded. "He wanted you to have something special."

Charlotte smiled softly as she looked round the room. "It's perfect." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Really? You like it? Because we can change it if you want? We can expand downstairs if you want him nearer you..." Lorelai rambled.

"Mom, I love it." Charlotte said. "Thank you." She smiled giving her a hug.

"Well I'm sort of hoping you're going to use it lots. I'm hoping you'll visit a lot..." Lorelai smiled.

"We will." She assured her.

"Oh and we got you and Rory two double beds as well." Lorelai said. "I know it makes your room look tiny but we thought when Jess and Tristan come as well, they'll have somewhere to sleep." She said.

"And Luke's ok with that?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't give him a choice. Hey, you're pregnant. He kind of knows you and Jess do it." She smirked.

"Ew! Mom!" Charlotte laughed.

"Do you want to see our bathroom?" Lorelai grinned.

"Lead the way." She laughed.

* * *

Jess entered the diner and was immediately nearly run over by Luke. "Geez, it's busy in here!" He said.

"Lunch rush." Luke said, taking an order from one table and giving some food to another. "Steaks and eggs, tuna melt." He said.

"I ordered onions on this." The customer said.

"Yes, you did. I'll be right back." He said going over to the counter. "Caesar, I got onions coming!" He called.

"Is it Lane's day off?" Jess asked.

"No, she's coming in this afternoon." Luke sighed.

"Want some help?" Jess offered.

Luke smiled gratefully at him. "If you don't mind?"

"Sure." Jess said grabbing a plate of food and delivering it to a table.

"Excuse me, this is not rare/medium-rare. It's more like just rare." Another customer stopped Jess.

"Right." Jess rolled his eyes taking the breath. "Caesar, add a little more medium to this rare." He said.

"The stove is going blinky." Caesar told them.

"No excuses. Let's go, go, go!" Luke said going to take another order. He glanced over at Jess. "Good drive?" He asked.

"Yeah. No traffic really." He nodded.

"You forget someone?" Luke said.

"I left her jumping up and down and squealing with your wife." Jess smirked.

"I would expect nothing less." Luke smirked, going over to the kitchen just as a girl with a bike helmet came in.

"Luke Danes? Excuse me. Are you Luke Danes?" She asked Jess.

"Over there." Jess gestured to Luke.

"Are you Luke Danes?" The girl asked going over to Luke.

"Yeah, grab a seat. I'll be with you in a moment." Luke said.

"You're Luke Danes?" She confirmed.

"Yes, kid, I'm Luke Danes." Luke said getting frustrated. She glanced at her. "What's that?" He asked pointing to her unique looking helmet. "What the hell are you wearing?" He asked.

"Always the warm welcome when you come here." Jess smirked as he passed them.

"A bike helmet." The girl said.

"For what kind of bike?"

"A Schwinn."

"Ok."

"When you fall off the bike, you fall on your face." She continued.

"Fine."

"You could lose your teeth or hurt your neck."

"Whatever. What do you want to eat?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said.

"Then I need the stool space." He said frustrated.

"You told me to sit here."

"Well, I thought you were going to order something." Luke said.

"Burger, rare!" Caesar called.

"I got it." Jess said taking it and delivering it to a table.

Luke nodded at Jess and glanced back at the girl who was smiling at him. "Look, kid, whatever you're selling..." He said walking over to a table to deliver some drinks.

"I'm not selling anything." She said.

"I know,but I'm working, I'm busy...Will you take that thing off?" He said gesturing to the helmet.

"Ok." She said taking it off. "It takes a minute." She said. "Ok, it's off. Can I talk to you now?"

"Talk fast."

"I need your hair."

"Excuse me?" He said confused.

"With the roots."

"For what?"

"I go to Martin Van Buren Middle School over on Woodbridge. Do you know it?" She asked.

"No."

"Well, every year Samuel Polotsky wins the science fair. Now, it's very important that I beat him this year because I hate him. This year I have the perfect project. I'm going to take hair samples from three men, run DNA tests on them and figure out which one's my father." She smiled.

"What?" He said shocked.

"My uncle works for a lab in Hartford so he's going to oversee me. But I'll be doing all the actual work myself."

"I'm sorry. Did you say your father?" Luke said stunned, glancing over at Jess who was also looking shocked.

"Yeah, see, science fairs have gotten so political lately. It's no longer the simple act of science being appreciated. There's got to be a twist, a gimmick. Something flashy. I figure this is perfect. Real science, DNA testing, with a flash of human drama. 'Who's my daddy?' Huh? Catchy, right?" She said.

"I don't understand. I'm not..." Luke said slowly.

"I already have the other two samples. This is my last stop. I go to the lab tomorrow and the fair's on the 16th. And, if I win, there's going to be a banquet on the 18th and you get to choose any two kinds of spaghetti that you want. There's going to be at least ten options though I know what I'm getting. Split order, half mushroom, half mizeethra cheese." She smiled.

"No!" Luke said.

"Yes, that's what I'm getting." She frowned, confused.

"No. I mean, no. I'm not..." He tried again but was interrupted by her grabbing some of his hair and pulling it out. "Ow!" He said.

She takes out her camera and takes a picture of him. "Thanks!" She said. "Wish me luck!" She said, grabbing her helmet and rushing out.

Jess walked up to Luke. "I'm sorry but did she just say you could be her father?" He said.

"I...I think so." Luke said watching the girl cycle off. "I can't be...I would have known if I had a kid..."

"Ok, you go upstairs. I'm going to call Lane and ask her to come in earlier. I'll be up in a bit." Jess said gently pushing him to the stairs. "Go up." He said.

Luke just nodded and slowly disappeared upstairs, still in shock.

* * *

Charlotte entered the diner later that day and was confused to see Lane serving. "Hey." She said going up to the counter.

"Charlotte hey!" Lane smiled warmly coming round and giving her a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you as well!" Charlotte smiled. "Uh..do you know where Jess is? I was meant to be meeting him here."

"He's upstairs with Luke." Lane said. "I don't know what's going on but I think it's something serious. Jess called me and asked if I could come in a bit earlier."

"Oh." Charlotte frowned. "Do you know what it is?" She asked.

"No idea, sorry." She shrugged. "I'm sure you can go up there."

"Yeah I might do. Thanks Lane." She said getting up and heading upstairs.

Meanwhile, Luke was pacing around the apartment. "How can I have a kid? I would have known about her!" He exclaimed. "She can't be mine. It's impossible!"

"Calm down." Jess said.

"How can I calm down? This girl thinks I'm her father!" Luke exclaimed.

"Possible father." Jess corrected.

"Does that make any difference? Why would she think I was a possibility?" He said.

Jess sighed. "I don't know. But just...stop pacing for a minute, you're giving me a headache."

Luke sighed and sat down at the table. "What am I going to tell Lorelai? What is she going to think?" He said.

"It's hardly your fault." Jess said. "If this girl is your daughter, you knew nothing about her. It's not your fault."

"What do I tell Lorelai though? She won't want to be involved in a strange kid's life!" Luke said.

"Yeah because Lorelai is such a rubbish mom." Jess said sarcastically.

"Jess..." Luke warned.

"What? I don't get what the problem is! Yes this is a shock and yes it might be proved that she's your daughter but you've done nothing wrong. You didn't know she existed." Jess said.

Luke sighed. "I'm so confused. How would I have a daughter?"

"You have a daughter." A voice said from the doorway.

Luke's head whipped round to see a stunned Charlotte stood there. "Charlotte..." He said.

"I'm sorry but did I really just hear you say you have a daughter?" She said quietly.

Luke sighed. There was no point hiding it now. "Apparently I potentially do." He said.

"But when? How?" Charlotte asked shocked.

"You really want to ask how?" Jess said smirking slightly.

"Shut up. I'm not in the mood, Jess." Charlotte said.

"Look, it's not Luke's fault. He knew nothing about her. This kid, this girl, came into the diner, started going on about some science fair and trying to find her father. The next thing we know, she'd left." Jess told her.

"So you don't know if she's yours?" Charlotte asked slowly.

"No." Luke said.

"You could go to the science fair." Jess suggested.

"What?" Luke looked up.

"She said it was tomorrow morning and she told you what school she went to. You could go." Jess shrugged. "You're only going to drive yourself crazy otherwise."

Luke sighed but nodded. "I guess..."

"At least you'd know for sure then." Jess said.

"We can go with you if you like?" Charlotte offered quietly.

Luke glanced at her. "You'd do that?" He asked.

"If you want some company." She nodded.

"Thanks but..uh..I think there's probably someone else I should ask..." He said.

"You're going to talk to Lorelai." Jess guessed, glad he had got through to him.

"I have to. If she is mine, it's going to affect her as well. All of us." Luke said, getting up. "I'll go find her now."

"Hey Luke?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah?" He said.

"If it turns out you are her dad, she's really lucky." She said softly, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks." He said softly.

"And we're here for you. If you need any help. Hey, we can be new parents together!" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Luke smiled slightly. "Yeah." He said. "I should go. Can you..uh.." He started.

"Leave the diner to me." Jess nodded. "You go talk to Lorelai."

"Thanks." Luke smiled gratefully at his nephew. He took a deep breath before turning and walking out of the apartment, suddenly very unsure what the future held for him.

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! Thanks for all your support so far. I really do appreciate it! :)**


	68. Chapter 68

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 66

"Ok so you get me to come from the inn to the bridge and then back home..." Lorelai said watching Luke pace round the living room. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Luke sighed and sat down in the armchair opposite Lorelai, who was sat on the couch. "I'm sorry." He said.

"You're making me nervous now..." Lorelai said.

"I might have a daughter." He admitted.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked. "What do you mean you might have a daughter? Is someone pregnant or something?"

"What? No! Geez! Not like that! I would never cheat on you, Lorelai!" Luke exclaimed. "Why would you even think that?"

"Well what am I meant to think?" Lorelai exclaimed. "How might you have a daughter?"

Luke sighed. "This girl came into the diner. She must have been at least 11 or 12." He explained. "She started talking about how she was taking part in a science fair at her school and her project was that she was finding out who her father was. Apparently I'm one of three possibilities. She grabbed my hair and before I knew it, she'd gone."

"Wow.." She said stunned.

"How could I have a daughter and not know about her? It doesn't make any sense at all!" Luke exclaimed. He sighed. "Jess and Charlotte think I should go to the science fair..."

"Wait, Jess and Charlotte know about this?" She asked.

"Jess was there when the girl came in and heard everything. Charlotte, well I guess she was coming for lunch. I was upstairs with Jess and she came up and overheard us talking." He said.

"Ok..." Lorelai said.

"Ok?" Luke questioned.

"Just give me a minute to get my head round this. So you're saying you might have a 12 year old daughter?" She said slowly.

"Potentially." Luke said glancing down at the floor and then back up at her wife, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Well..ok..I think Jess and Charlotte are right. You should go to this science fair. You're going to drive yourself crazy otherwise." Lorelai said. "Can't you think of anyone that you might have been with that tallies with the age of the girl?" She asked. "Rachel?" She said nervously.

"No, Rachel was away then." Luke shook his head. "And she wouldn't do that to me. Plus she came back about 5 years ago, remember?"

"Yeah.." Lorelai sighed. "Well I don't know. Was there anyone else?"

"A couple but we were never serious." Luke said.

"Even if you weren't, it could only take one go. I'm an example of that." Lorelai pointed out.

"I guess..." Luke said. "But why wouldn't they tell me? I mean, am I that bad a person that you wouldn't want me anywhere near my own kid?" He exclaimed.

"No." Lorelai said softly. "No, you're not a bad person. You'd be the best dad. You already are to Charlotte and Rory."

Luke sighed. "Then why wouldn't they tell me?" He said quietly.

"I don't know." Lorelai said honestly.

Luke glanced up at her. "Will you come with me? The science fair is tomorrow morning."

"Of course." She said.

"I mean, if you're busy or something...with the inn..." He said.

"That doesn't matter. I'll be there." Lorelai assured him.

"Thank you." Luke said quietly.

* * *

The following morning, Luke and Lorelai walked into the school and started looking around the booths.

"Do you see her?" Lorelai asked.

"No." Luke said looking round. "Oh wait, yeah. There she is." He said pointing over to a girl sat on a stool at her booth, reading a book.

"Huh." Lorelai said.

"What?" Luke said, glancing at her.

"Nothing. She just reminds me of Rory when she was younger." Lorelai said. "Come on." She smiled encouragingly at him and started walking towards her. They walked up to her and noticed his picture on the top of the booth was circled while there are two other pictures of two other men whose faces were crossed out. Lorelai glanced at Luke who looked in shock. "You ok?" She asked softly.

"I...uh..." Luke said, causing the girl to look up at them.

"Hi?" She said, obviously surprised.

"Hi." Luke said, still looking at the pictures.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Oh, I just came down to see the potato clock." He tried to joke.

"Hmm..." She nodded.

"It's amazing a potato can do that."

"Potatoes are extraordinary."

"Hi..uh..I'm Lorelai." Lorelai smiled at her.

"Oh yeah, sorry. This is my wife. I hope it's ok I brought her." Luke said.

"Sure." She said. "Hi." She smiled shyly at Lorelai.

"So, I guess, uh..." Luke said gesturing to the pictures.

"Yeah. It's you." She said.

"And you're sure?"

"Absolutely. You want to see my report?" She asked giving him it.

"Uh, yeah." Luke said in a daze, taking it and going through it. "Oh. It's big." He chuckled nervously. "Wow, you...uh...sure wrote a lot of...uh...things here. Hey, wait. There's a word in here I know." He joked, chuckling nervously again. "So, you're...uh...smart, huh?" He said.

"I've never been tested."

Lorelai had to smile at Luke's attempt to converse with her. "So this was all done officially? I mean, there's no chance it's wrong?" She asked.

"No. My uncle works in a lab. He knows how to do it." She said.

"Right." Lorelai nodded.

"April Nardini?" Luke said reading it off the report.

"That's a pretty name." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks." April smiled shyly.

"So your last name is Nardini?" Luke asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"So your mom is..." He said suddenly putting two and two together. "Anna..."

"Yes." April nodded again.

"You know her?" Lorelai asked looking at Luke.

"Yeah. We..uh..dated for a few months." Luke nodded. "It was soon after my dad died."

"Oh.." Lorelai said.

"Wow. I haven't seen Anna in..." Luke said quietly.

"About 12 years?" April said.

"Yeah." Luke said. "So..uh..how is she? Is she good?" He said, not really knowing what to ask.

"Yes." April said.

"Well, you know, that's...Anna Nardini. Oh boy." Luke said, suddenly feeling it all start to sink in. "Uh, I think I...I have to sit down." He said.

"Do you want my stool?" April offered getting up.

"Yeah, thanks." Luke said sitting down. "Thanks...I'm just..uh..a little overwhelmed here."

"You want a capri sun?" She offered.

"No, that's ok." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled as she watched them. "I'll go get you some water. I saw a water cooler where we came in." She said walking off, giving them a moment alone.

"So...I'm your father..." Luke said looking at April.

"Yeah..." April said.

"I didn't know about you." He said.

"I know." She said quietly.

"If I did, I would have...uh...well been there for you." He said.

"It's not your fault." April gave him a small smile. "Your..uh..your wife seems nice." She said.

Luke smiled slightly. "Yeah. She's great."

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah I think I'm better now." Luke said. "Thanks." He said as Lorelai came back up with a small cup of water.

"Are you sure?" April asked, sitting back down.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Luke said sipping some of the water.

"I'm sorry you didn't win." Lorelai said.

"It's ok." April shrugged. "The solar pizza oven took first. Environmentalism is very in right now."

"Well of course!" Lorelai smirked.

"Right, well...oh here." Luke said handing her back the report.

"Oh, you can keep it. I've got copies." April said.

"Oh ok. Thanks." He said. He glanced at Lorelai, not knowing what to say.

"Have you got some time now?" Lorelai asked April.

"Not really. The winners have to give a presentation at six." She said.

"Ok. Well I guess we'll leave you to it then." Lorelai smiled. "Right?" She said to Luke.

"Uh yeah...right." He said.

"Ok. Thanks for coming by."

"Yeah. Thanks for the report. I'll pick up a scientific dictionary on the way home, see if I can figure out what it says." Luke tried to joke again.

"Norton makes a good one." April said.

"Norton! Got it. Ok." He said. "Well..uh..bye." He said awkwardly.

"Bye April." Lorelai smiled at her.

"Bye." April said, watching them walk off.

* * *

"Why would she not tell me about April?" Luke exclaimed as they got back to the house. "I mean, she's 12! I've missed 12 years of her life!"

"I don't know." Lorelai said, giving Jess and Charlotte a small smile when she saw them on the couch.

"She's yours?" Jess asked.

"Yes she's mine! She's mine and she's 12! I've missed so much of her life!" Luke exclaimed angrily, heading upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Lorelai said.

"I need to get my head round this." Luke grumbled as he stormed upstairs.

"So he took it well then..." Jess said.

Lorelai sighed and sat down next to them. "He's confused. He doesn't understand why Anna didn't tell him about April." She said.

"That's so wrong." Charlotte frowned. "I mean, I know dad was never there for us but you'd never think of not telling him about us at all, would you?" She said.

"No." Lorelai said. "I was shocked when I found out I was pregnant and I was scared about how everyone would react but I knew I had to at least tell Chris. He deserved to know."

"Yeah I understand that." Charlotte said, putting her hand on her stomach. "When I found out, I was so scared. Well you know what I was like..." She said quietly. She glanced up at Jess. "Luke told me to ring you but I was scared. It's not because I didn't want you to know. I was going to tell you..."

"I know." Jess assured her. "You just needed some time to get your head round it first."

Charlotte sighed. "Poor Luke..." She said.

"Yeah." Lorelai said. "He's taking it pretty hard." She admitted.

A while later, Luke came storming downstairs looking like a man on a mission. "I'm going out." He said.

"What? Where are you going?" Lorelai asked.

"To go find out why the hell Anna would keep my own daughter from me." Luke said gruffly.

"Whoa, slow down!" Lorelai said getting up.

"Why?"

"Because if you go in there all guns blazing, you'll get nowhere." She said. "How do you even know where she lives?"

"I called information." He said.

"Look, just step back for a moment." Lorelai said.

"I need to go get answers!" Luke exclaimed.

"I know. I know that and you will." Lorelai assured him. "Just not today."

"Why?"

"Because you're angry. Rightly so. But you're angry and you'll end up saying something you'll regret." Lorelai said.

"I want to be able to see April." He admitted.

"You will. But you need to do things the right way."

Luke sighed. "I guess..." He conceded.

"Go tomorrow. Once you've calmed down a bit." She said softly.

"Will you come with me?" He asked.

"What?" She said surprised.

"You're right. If I go, I might say something I regret. But I'm worried that might happen anyway. So I need you there..." He said. He glanced at her. "I know it's weird...going to see my ex but..." He said quietly.

"If it's what you want, I'll come." She said.

"Really?"

"Of course." She smiled softly. "Now sit down for a minute."

"I need to keep busy." Luke admitted. "I might go to the diner for a bit."

"Ok." Lorelai said softly. "But take it easy ok?"

"I will." He said, giving her a quick kiss. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

"For what?"

"For just always knowing what to say." He said.

* * *

The following morning, Luke, Lorelai and Jess were stood outside the Nardini house. Jess had insisted on coming. "You ready?" Lorelai asked Luke softly.

Luke just nodded and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait long until Anna opened it. She gave them a nervous smile. "Hello, stranger." She said.

"Hey." He said gruffly. "Uh, can...can we come in?" He asked.

"Sure." She said stepping aside to let them in.

"This is my wife, Lorelai. And my nephew, Jess." Luke said.

"Hi." She smiled politely at them.

"Uh..sorry about barging in on you like this." Luke said.

"It's fine. I'm making tea. You want some tea?" She asked.

"Uh, sure. Tea sounds like tea." He said awkwardly.

"Lorelai? Jess?" She offered.

"Do you have coffee?" Lorelai asked.

"I think so. I'll go and look." She said.

"I'm good." Jess said, watching as Anna went off into the kitchen to make the drinks.

"April's not here right now. She's tracking a grub migration. All inquiries stopped after the word 'grub'." She joked.

"That's ok. I came by to see you, actually." Luke said.

"Oh yeah?" She said.

"Yeah." He said awkwardly.

"Hey, you've got a lot of stuff here. Do you sell clothes?" Lorelai asked, hoping to ease some of the tension.

"Clothes, pillows, candles, fabrics. It's one of those everything kind of boutiques." Anna said coming back out to give the the drink.

"That's cool." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks." Anna said. "So I guess we should sit?" She said gesturing to the couches.

"Yeah..." Luke said as they all sat down.

"Uh, this is weird." Anna admitted.

"I know." He said.

"It's been a very long time."

"I know." Luke repeated.

"I actually saw you once about five years ago in the parking lot of some lumberyard." Anna said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I waved but you either didn't see me or didn't want to see me."

"I didn't see you. I would have waved back, unless I was holding stuff and then I would have nodded or something." Luke said shifting uncomfortably.

"Sure. I'm sure. I thought about you when the Red Sox won."

"Really?"

"I knew it would be a big day for you." She nodded.

"It was." Luke said. He glanced at her. "How come you didn't tell me, Anna?" He finally asked.

"Luke..." She sighed.

"It was a phone call! I've been in the same place forever. Haven't moved. You certainly knew how to find me." Luke said.

"Luke, come on. We'd already broken up by the time I found out and I knew how you felt about kids." She said.

"What do you mean how I felt about kids?" He frowned.

"You hate kids."

"I don't hate kids!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't!"

"We couldn't go the movies before ten o'clock at night in case there were kids in the theatre." Anna said.

"Well, kids talk during a movie and they throw crap around. They run up and down the aisles. They're animals." Luke said gruffly.

"We would move tables in a restaurant if they seated us near a family."

"Only if there was something crying or spitting up."

"You would flip out if you saw a woman breast-feeding in public, you couldn't stand to watch diaper commercials and you had an unnatural hatred of Macaulay Culkin."

"Ok, fine. I hated kids but I'm not that guy anymore." Luke exclaimed.

"Thirteen years ago, you were that guy." Anna said.

"It doesn't mean I would have been like that with my kid! I mean even if I would have been like that with my kid, I still had a right to know!" He said feeling himself getting worked up.

"I'm sorry." Anna sighed.

"Well I want to see her. I want to get to know my daughter. And I want to get her to know my family as well." Luke said firmly.

"Hang on a minute..." Anna said.

"What?"

"I'm fine with April getting to know you. You're right, you deserve that. But I don't want her spending time with other people I don't know." She said.

"Says the woman who kept a kid from her father for 12 years..." Jess said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Anna narrowed her eyes.

"Jess..." Lorelai warned.

"What? It's true! She' not exactly in the position to make demands. She kept April away from Luke for 12 years!" He said.

"Anna, April will spend time with who I choose. She's as much my daughter as she is yours. You can't forbid her to see Lorelai! She's my wife!" Luke said.

"I'm sorry, Luke, but if you want to see April, that's the conditions." Anna said stiffly, getting up and disappearing through to the kitchen.

"Conditions?" Luke said getting angry. "Conditions, Anna? Who are you to start giving me conditions?" He exclaimed, getting up.

"Ok hon, calm down." Lorelai said softly.

"I'm not going to sit here and let her still call the shots!" Luke exclaimed.

"I know. But I think you should go get some air ok?" She said softly. "Go on, I'll talk to her."

"But..." He said.

"Trust me." She said.

Luke let out a breath and just nodded, before heading outside.

"You go with him." Lorelai told Jess, before slowly walking through to the kitchen. She knew she had to tread carefully. She saw Anna scrubbing a pan in the sink. "Anna?" She said quietly.

"I'm sorry but I'm not changing my mind." She said stiffly.

"Look, I get it ok?" Lorelai said. "I'm a single mom of two kids." She said. She saw Anna stop and slowly turn around.

"You've got kids?" She asked.

"Two daughters." Lorelai smiled.

"How old are they?" Anna asked.

"21." She said. She saw Anna look surprised. "I had them when I was 16." She admitted.

"Oh." Anna said quietly.

"It wasn't planned but I wouldn't change them for the world. Just like I'm sure you wouldn't change April for anything." Lorelai said.

"No." Anna conceded. "She's my whole world." She admitted.

"She seems like a really great kid. Really smart." Lorelai smiled.

"She is." Anna said smiling slightly. "She's into science."

"I guessed that." Lorelai said. "My daughters...one's into reading and one's into art." She sighed. "Look, I get it. I don't agree about what you did with not telling Luke but it's just been you and April for 12 years. It's natural you don't want new people coming into her life. I had that with my daughters. I had a no man in the house rule with them. If I went on a date, I'd make sure they wouldn't meet them until I knew it could be serious. My daughter's dad, he's not exactly been around. He comes and goes when he pleases. But one time, he came with his new girlfriend. And she wanted to spend time with my daughters and I hated the thought of that." She admitted. "I thought they'd like her better than me and want to spend more time with her."

"And?" Anna said quietly.

"They said she was nice." She shrugged. "They went out shopping together and had fun. But that was it. I felt stupid afterwards really." She said. She looked over at Anna. "I totally agree that the first few times, April should have time with Luke alone, just the two of them. I understand that. They need time to get to know each other. But I am going to be around. Luke and I are married and we're living together. I want to get to know April as well. She's part of Luke and Luke's everything to me. He's changed my life." She admitted. "Even when we were just friends, he was there for me. And my daughters got to know him well as well as we were always at the diner. And they liked him. And he looked out for them. Luke was really the first guy that I let into their lives. I knew he was dependable."

"How long have you been together?" Anna asked.

"Only three years but we've known each other for about 10 years." Lorelai said.

Anna sighed. "I know I was wrong to keep April from Luke. I do know that. But we'd broken up and I was scared and confused. I kept telling myself I'd get in touch but kept putting it off. Before I knew it, I'd had April and I don't know...I just figured it was too late. I know it was wrong."

"Luke would have been there for you." Lorelai said quietly. "That's the kind of person he is."

"I know." She said quietly. "But I can't do anything about that now. I regret what I did but I can't turn back time."

"I know." Lorelai nodded. "All I'm saying is that Luke and I...well we're good. We're strong. And I would welcome April into the family with open arms. I would never overstep the mark though. I would never undermine you. You're her mom, Anna. You always will be. That's what I learnt with my daughters. Or more like, they knocked sense into me." She joked.

Anna smiled slightly. "It was nothing against you." She said.

"I know." Lorelai nodded.

Anna sighed. "It's really up to April but if she wants to get to know Luke, get to know all of you, then I can't really stand in the way."

"Thank you." Lorelai said, letting out a breath, relieved. "Really. Thank you."

Just then, Luke and Jess reappeared. "I put him on the naughty step and told him to think." Jess said smirking slightly. "What?" He said when his uncle gave him a look.

"I'm sorry I went off on one." Luke said gruffly. "I was just...well it just got to me, that's all." He admitted.

"It's ok." Anna said. "Look, I've said this to Lorelai. It's really up to April but if she wants to have contact and get to know you all, I can't really stand in her way."

"Seriously?" Luke asked surprised by her sudden change of mind.

"The first few times I do want it to be just you and April though." Anna said.

"That's fair." Lorelai said before Luke could protest. "You need to get to know her by yourself first." She told him softly.

"Yeah. I guess so." He conceded.

"And then after that, well we'll see how things go." Anna said.

"Thank you." Luke said gruffly.

"I'll ring you." She promised.

Luke nodded. "Ok. Thanks." He said. "So I'll..uh..wait for your call then."

Anna nodded. "Bye Luke." She said. "It was nice to meet you." She told Lorelai and Jess.

"You too." Lorelai nodded politely, before following Luke and Jess out, letting out a breath once they were actually outside. She knew that could have gone horribly wrong so she was glad it hadn't.

 **So I hope you like it! Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	69. Chapter 69

**So I need to tell you all that this might be the last update for a while! I'm busy tomorrow and Thursday and then my mum's coming to visit on Friday and is leaving on Wednesday. And then I'm actually going abroad to stay with her until the end of November to volunteer and her wifi isn't brilliant so I don't think I'll be able to update then! Sorry! But please bear with me because I will continue this story once I'm back on the 30th. Anyway, thank you so much for all your support so far! I really do appreciate it. :)**

Chapter 67

"Relax, hon, it's going to be fine." Lorelai smiled at Luke as she sat at the counter in the diner.

"I know. I just...I'm rubbish around kids." Luke said.

"Yeah he actually is." Jess smirked as he walked behind Luke with some plates of food.

"Ok, I thought you were meant to be going back to Philadelphia this morning." Luke told Jess.

"Another night won't hurt." Jess shrugged. "Plus you need someone to help out here."

"It'll be fine." Lorelai assured him. She glanced outside and saw Anna and April arriving. "That's my cue." She said getting up.

"I still think you should stay. You shouldn't feel forced out." He grumbled.

"It's fine. You should have some time with April alone." Lorelai smiled. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah see you later." Luke nodded, leaning over to give her a kiss.

Lorelai turned round to see Anna and April coming in. "Hi April." She smiled brightly at the girl.

"Hi." April smiled shyly.

"Anna." Lorelai smiled politely.

"Hi Lorelai." Anna nodded.

"Anyway, I'm on my way out. See you later." She smiled at Luke. "Have fun."

"Yeah see you later." Luke said.

* * *

"I can't believe Luke has a kid." Rory said on the phone.

"I know! It's weird." Charlotte said. "Well not weird, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah. How's he doing with it?" Rory asked.

"Ok. I mean I think he's still in a bit of shock seeing as he's found out he has a 12 year old daughter who he knew nothing about." Charlotte said. "But he was going to spend some time with her today at the diner."

"That's good." Rory said. "And how are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Yeah? Everything with the baby ok?" She asked.

"Well why don't you open the door and find out?" Charlotte said.

"What?" Rory said confused coming out of her bedroom in the apartment she shared with Paris and Doyle in Yale.

"Open your door." Charlotte repeated.

Rory frowned but went to the front door and opened it to find her sister standing there, grinning. "What are you doing here?" She exclaimed excitedly, giving her a hug.

"Surprise!" Charlotte grinned.

"Come in." Rory grinned letting her in just as Paris and Doyle came out of the room fighting.

"Oh!" Charlotte said surprised.

"Don't worry. They do this the whole time. They're learning Krav Maga." Rory sighed. "Guys! Can you take it somewhere else please?"

"Charlotte." Paris said noticing her.

"Hi Paris, how's it going?" Charlotte smiled.

"Good. You're really pregnant." She said looking at her stomach.

"Yes this isn't an illusion." Charlotte smirked.

"No I mean, you're really pregnant. You're big." Paris said.

"Well it's a good thing I am pregnant then and not just big." Charlotte joked.

"Come sit!" Rory smiled at her sister. "Paris, Doyle, don't fight round the baby please."

"So we have to hide in our room? Lovely." Paris said sarcastically, heading back to their bedroom.

"Thanks!" Rory grinned. "So why the sudden visit? I thought you and Jess were heading back to Philadelphia today." She said.

"We were but Jess wanted to stay another night. He said it was because Luke would need help at the diner while April visited but I think he just wanted to make sure it went ok." Charlotte said.

"Aw, he is a big softy really, isn't he?" Rory said.

"The biggest." Charlotte grinned. "Anyway, apparently it was agreed that for the first few times, April wouldn't meet mom or us so I was banished from the diner. So I figured I'd surprise you."

"Well I'm glad you have. I miss you!" Rory smiled.

"Yeah, I miss you too." Charlotte said. "Hey what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Why don't you come home for the night? We could spend some more time together." She said.

"You know, I guess I could. I don't have class until the afternoon tomorrow." Rory said.

"Yay! We could have some sister time!" Charlotte grinned.

"Jess won't mind?"

"Please! We spend every day together! He'd probably be glad of the peace." Charlotte smirked.

"I doubt it." Rory laughed.

"True but honestly, he won't mind." Charlotte smiled. "So say you'll come back with me?"

"I'll come back with you." Rory smiled.

"Yes!" Charlotte grinned, thrusting a fist in the air.

* * *

"So...do you want to hang out somewhere else?" Luke asked awkwardly as April sat on a stool at the counter facing him.

"Like where?" April asked.

"The park?" Luke suggested.

"Why would we go to the park?" She asked.

"I thought kids liked parks." Luke said.

"It's 41 degrees out. Not exactly peak park-going season." April pointed out.

"But there's still stuff to do, right? I mean, we could have a snowball fight or something." Luke said awkwardly.

"My friend Remi got into a snowball fight with a guy once and she got a retina detached." She said.

"Well, ok we'll skip that then. Uh...sorry, I'll try and actually have something arranged next time." He sighed. "I don't really know what kids are into."

"It's fine." She shrugged.

"Oh, and I said next time. I don't know if you caught that."

"I did."

"Did your mom explain that this isn't necessarily a one-time thing? I was thinking maybe we could make it semi-regular or even just, you know, regular." He said nervously.

"Uh, ok."

"Good. So, what's your free time like?"

"I've got no school this whole week. It's year-round so we get weird times off." April said.

"Well, ok...then maybe we can do something tomorrow too?"

"Ok." April said, starting to eat the food Luke had made for her.

"So..uh..what kind of things do you like to do?" Luke asked.

"He's dying." Jess said as he stood at the side with Lane.

"Oh yeah, totally dying." Lane nodded.

"Wait here." Jess told her and he walked over to them. "Hey April, I don't know if Luke or your mom told you about me." He said.

"Are you my cousin? Mom said she met Luke's nephew." April said.

"That's me. I'm Jess." He smiled.

"Hi." April smiled shyly.

"Jess, what are you..." Luke started.

"So I hear you're into science. What are you into in particular?" He asked.

"I like all science but I'm into biology. Oh and the animal cycle. I'm big on animals!" She said, getting more enthusiastic talking about what she loved.

"That's cool!" Jess said. "Hey, how do you feel about fish?" He asked.

"Fish?" April asked confused.

"What are you yammering on about?" Luke growled.

"Because Luke is a big fisher. He goes a lot." Jess told her.

"You do?" April asked, looking genuinely interested.

"Uh..yeah. I used to go with my father when I was younger. And I just sort of kept up the tradition. It's peaceful." Luke said.

"Can we go sometime?" April asked.

"Fishing? You want to go fishing?" He asked surprised.

"You're welcome." Jess said as he walked back to Lane. He smiled satisfied when he saw April start to enthusiastically ask lots of questions about fishing and he saw Luke start to relax a bit because he was talking about something he knew.

"You're full of surprises, Mariano." Lane said approvingly.

"He just needed a little push." Jess shrugged.

"I miss having you around." Lane admitted.

"What?" Jess said glancing at her.

"I mean, I know we've got Gil now in the band but it's still not the same without you. And we used to have a good system going here as well. Now I just spend the time shouting at Caesar." She smirked.

Jess chuckled. "Sorry."

"Nah it's not your fault. You're doing amazingly. I just miss my friend, that's all." She shrugged, smiling at him.

"I miss you too. We had some fun, didn't we?" He said smirking slightly.

"Oh yeah!" She laughed.

"Hey, you know you and Zach can come visit anytime right? You say the date and we'll have the spare room sorted." Jess said.

"Thanks. We'd like that." Lane smiled. "Oh looks like your intervention worked." She said gesturing to Luke and April who were heading upstairs, April still chatting enthusiastically.

"Looks like it." Jess said.

"So how's everything going? You ready to be a dad?" She asked.

"I'm going to have to be." He said.

"Seriously, how is everything going?" Lane asked.

"Good. Charlotte's good, the baby's healthy. Everything's good." He nodded.

"Are you excited?"

Jess smiled slightly. "I think I'll believe it when I actually see our son." He admitted. "But yeah, we're excited."

"You'll be a great dad." Lane smiled.

"Thanks." Jess said ducking his head slightly.

"Hey, want to win Kirk up for old time's sake?" Lane grinned as she saw Kirk walk in.

"Absolutely! Lead the way!" He smirked.

* * *

"So it went well?" Lorelai asked as Luke cooked dinner in the kitchen at the Crap Shack.

"It was a bit rocky to begin with." Luke admitted. "But it got better. She wants to go fishing."

"Fishing? Really?" She asked.

"Yeah.." Luke said smiling slightly. "She's really interested in it. I said I'd take her some time."

"Well that's great!" Lorelai smiled. "I'm glad it went well."

Luke was quiet for a moment before glancing over at Lorelai. "Is it weird that I've only hung out with her once but it's like I've known her my whole life? I already love her. She's an amazing kid." He said quietly, blushing slightly, glancing down at the floor.

"No it's not weird." Lorelai smiled softly. "She's your daughter. It's natural that your'e going to feel something for her. It's like when I saw Charlotte and Rory for the first time. I loved them immediately." She said. "Now you may not have known April long, but it's still the same thing. She's your daughter. Of course, you're going to love her."

"She's amazing." Luke admitted. "She's so smart and she's funny."

Lorelai smiled. "I think it's great you two are bonding. You should be."

"I do want you to get to know her as well." Luke said glancing at her.

"I will." Lorelai nodded. "But we have to do it right."

"I know." He sighed.

"Mom?" Charlotte suddenly called coming in. "I've brought someone with me!"

"In here!" Lorelai called. "Rory!" Her face lit up when she saw her other daughter.

"Hi mom!" Rory grinned giving her a hug. "Charlotte twisted my arm and got me to come back tonight. I hope that's ok."

"Of course!" Lorelai grinned.

"Hey." Jess said coming out of the bedroom. He smiled and gave Charlotte a kiss. "You ok?"

"I'm good." She smiled. "How was your day?"

"Good." He nodded. "Lane and I made Kirk believe we were out of food." He smirked.

"You're mean." Charlotte laughed. "Hey..uh..you don't mind if Rory and I go out and see a movie or something, do you?" She asked.

"No. Why would I mind?" He said.

"I didn't think you would but I figured I'd ask. We've not seen each other much lately." She said.

"Go. Have fun. I'll be here." He smiled.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled softly, giving him another kiss. "So what's for dinner?" She asked Luke.

* * *

After dinner, Charlotte and Rory stayed in the kitchen to help with the washing up. They exchanged a glance as Luke put the dishes in the sink. "Hey Luke? Can we talk to you for a moment?" Charlotte said.

"Sure." Luke said turning round to see them standing there, looking nervous. "Is everything ok?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. We were..uh..just wondering if..." Charlotte started.

"We were wondering if you wanted these back." Rory helped her sister.

Luke watched them as Charlotte took off the pearl necklace and Rory took off the bracelet. He frowned. "Why would I want them back?" He asked confused.

"Well...you..uh..you have April now." Charlotte said quietly. "She's your real daughter. Wouldn't your mom have wanted her to have them?"

Luke's face softened. "No." He said.

"But..." Charlotte said.

"No." He repeated.

"But April's your biological daughter. She should have your mom's things." Rory said quietly.

Luke looked at them. He picked up the jewellery and then held them back out to them. "I gave these to you because I wanted you to have them. And if my mom was alive, she would have wanted you to have them as well." He said softly. "April may be my biological daughter but biology doesn't matter to me. I care about you two just as much as I care about April." He said. "That's never going to change."

"Really?" Charlotte asked quietly. "Are you sure?"

"I want you to have them." Luke repeated. "You two mean a lot to me. I was thinking about giving April some of my dad's old fishing equipment. She seems interested in that." He said. He looked at them. "Just because April's come into my life, doesn't mean I don't feel the same about you two. I will always be here for you. Whatever you need. And I'm not taking those back so don't even try." He said.

"Well...ok then." Rory said giving him a small smile.

Charlotte let out a breath she was holding. "Thanks Luke." She said quietly before giving him a hug.

"Nothing's changed." Luke assured them as he hugged his step daughter back, cradling her hair as he did. "Now go out. Have some fun. I'll do the dishes." He smirked.

"Ok." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks Luke." Rory smiled.

"But be careful! Call me if you want a lift back! I don't want you having to walk in the dark." Luke said.

"Ok!" Charlotte said smirking slightly. "Yeah, he's still the same Luke." She whispered to Rory.

"I heard that!" Luke smirked.

"Bye Luke!" Charlotte grinned as she headed out the kitchen with Rory.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! And again, I'm sorry that you might have to wait a while for the next chapter! I hope you stick with me and continue to read when I return as I still have so many ideas for this story. I'm far from finished with this! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	70. Chapter 70

**So I've actually managed to find some time to write! I hope you're still with me. :) So I'm doing a little time jump in this but I hope you still like it! :)**

Chapter 68

Winter came and went and a lot had happened in that time. Luke had gradually started to form a bond with April. After their first meeting, Anna had agreed that Luke could see her again so April had come to the diner a few more times after that. The conversation was still a bit stilted and awkward but they soon relaxed in each other's company and Luke enjoyed hearing about his daughter's likes and dislikes whilst April enjoyed hearing about his fishing adventures. After a month, Luke decided it was time for April to meet Lorelai. Anna had been reluctant at first but after seeing how eager April was, she knew she couldn't stop it happening. It went well and, like Luke had predicted, Lorelai was a natural with April and he could tell that April liked Lorelai as well. Lorelai made sure not to overstep the mark though as she knew she needed Anna's trust. After the first couple of times, Anna had started to relax a bit and when Christmas arrived, much to Luke's surprise and excitement, Anna agreed that April could join them for the day on Boxing Day. This gave Charlotte, Rory and Jess a chance to meet her as well. Luke's bond with his daughter grew as the winter months passed and he eventually plucked up courage to ask Anna whether he could take April on a fishing trip for a weekend. She agreed and Luke started to plan it.

Meanwhile, while all this was happening in Stars Hollow, Charlotte and Jess were still living and working in Philadelphia. After her scare in hospital, Charlotte had kept her promise to Jess and lightened her workload and she hadn't had any other scares, much to both of their relief. They had attended several scans and everything seemed to be going well. Richard and Lorelai had visited Truncheon as well and were impressed with it with Lorelai even buying a few of Charlotte's paintings and Richard buying Jess' book. However, Charlotte had seen nothing of her grandmother. Emily had tried to call her but Charlotte had avoided the calls. She also was still avoiding the Friday night dinners. She knew Rory was still going and recently her mom had returned to them as well but she just wasn't ready yet. She just wasn't ready to forgive her yet. The words her grandma had said to her still ran through her mind daily. She was nervous enough as it was, she didn't need her grandma putting doubts in her head as well.

In Yale, Rory was still getting good grades and was enjoying her studies. Her and Tristan were still going strong and together, with Paris, were leading the Yale Daily News succesfully.

* * *

Jess walked out of their bedroom one morning to find Charlotte sketching at the kitchen table. "I should have known this was what you were doing." He joked.

"Sorry." Charlotte smirked. "I woke early and couldn't get back to sleep so I came out here so I wouldn't wake you."

"You couldn't sleep?" Jess questioned. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Oh yeah! It's nothing to do with the baby, well apart from him kicking me, but I enjoy that. Makes it feel more real." She smiled.

Jess smiled and walked over, placing his hand on her stomach. "He's moving around a lot then, huh?"

"Oh yeah! I don't know if I will be able to cope with a sporty kid." Charlotte joked.

Jess chuckled. "Luke will be happy." He said as his cell suddenly rang. "Talking of the devil..." He smirked answering it. "Hey."

"You need to come to Stars Hollow now!" Luke said.

"What?" Jess said confused.

"You need to come back to Stars Hollow now!" Luke exclaimed.

"Why? Wait, aren't you and April meant to be setting off on your fishing trip today?" Jess said.

"Yes! Yes we are! And I'm freaking out!" He exclaimed. "I need you to come in case I mess up!"

"What do you mean? You've hung out with April loads of times and you've been fine." Jess said.

"But that was when there were lots of people around, either in the diner, or Lorelai was there with me. This will be just me and her and I'm freaking out! I don't want to say the wrong thing!" Luke exclaimed.

"Ok, you need to calm down." Jess chuckled. "Just relax, you'll be fine. You and April get on really well now." He said, rolling his eyes when he saw Charlotte looking at him trying to work out what was going on.

"No, I need you to come! Please! You need to make sure I don't say or do anything stupid. Please Jess!" Luke said.

Jess sighed. "I can't. I need to be here with Charlotte." He said when he noticed Charlotte waving to him to get his attention. "One second, Luke." He said. "What's up?" He asked Charlotte.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Luke wants me to go on this fishing trip with him and April. He's freaking out because he's only just realised it's going to be just him and April." Jess said.

"Mom's not going?" Charlotte asked.

"Lorelai's not going?" Jess asked Luke down the phone.

"Yeah, can you imagine Lorelai camping and fishing?" Luke snorted.

Jess smirked and turned to Charlotte. "No." He said.

"You should go then." She shrugged.

"What?" Jess said surprised.

"Aw come on, you know Luke wouldn't ask if he wasn't desperate. This parenting thing is still new to him." She said.

"But what if something happens? What if you go into labour?" Jess said.

"I've still got a month to go yet." Charlotte reminded him.

"But..."

"Jess, I'll be fine." She smiled softly. "I haven't had any more scares. I'll be fine. You should go."

"Are you sure?" Jess asked.

"I'm sure." She smiled. "Luke needs you. And you get on with April. I'm sure she will love to see you as well."

Jess sighed. "Fine. But any worries or problems, you call me straight away ok?" He said.

"I promise." She nodded.

"Fine." Jess sighed. He put his cell to his ear again. "Fine." He repeated.

"Thank you." Luke said gratefully. "I'll come collect you on the way to save you driving here. It will probably be more practical."

"Ok. I'll see you later." Jess said.

"Bye Jess." Luke said.

* * *

"So are you enjoying school?" Jess asked April as they sat round a camp fire Luke had made that evening.

"I love school! I wake up early just so I know I'm ready to go. Although mom refuses to take me before 7:30 now." April sighed.

"Remind you of anyone?" Luke smirked at Jess.

"Oh yeah." Jess smirked, knowing Rory had been exactly the same. Charlotte had liked school but she wasn't as enthusiastic as Rory.

"Who? You?" April asked Jess, causing Luke to snort.

"Hey!" Jess said indignantly.

"Oh come on Jess, you can hardly say you were the perfect student!" Luke smirked.

Jess smirked. "Ok, maybe not the perfect student...but I did graduate! Eventually."

"Eventually?" April asked.

"I had to resit the last year." Jess told her. "My fault really. I thought it was more fun to work at Walmart than actually go to school."

"You skived off school?" April asked, her eyes widening.

"School wasn't exactly for me." Jess admitted.

"Is that why you didn't go to college?" She asked interested.

"Pretty much." He nodded.

"But you've written a book right? And you run that publishing company. I'd say that was pretty impressive." April said earnestly.

"It is." Luke nodded.

Jess ducked his head slightly self consciously. "I've done alright. It's not just me, though, who's made Truncheon a success. Chris and Matt founded it and Charlotte does a lot now for it as well."

"Still, you've done a lot. I'm proud to call you my cousin." April grinned.

Jess smirked. "Thanks cuz. And I'm proud that I've got a school nerd for a cousin." He joked, causing April to giggle.

"Hey, don't knock it." Luke warned, not wanting April to think school wasn't worth it.

"I said I was proud of it!" Jess defended. He winked at April. "Don't quit school, ok?"

"No way!" April said.

"I think you're good." Jess smirked at Luke.

Luke just shook his head. "So how's Charlotte doing?"

"She's good." Jess nodded. "Not been feeling ill at all recently. She's craving lots of food but other than that, she's good."

"Good." Luke nodded.

"He's been kicking a lot recently. I think it keeps her up sometimes. But it's pretty cool to feel him." Jess admitted.

"I can imagine." Luke smiled.

"So when is she due?" April asked.

"In a month." Jess told her.

"Are you excited?" She asked.

"Nervous but yeah, excited too." He nodded. "I'll stop worrying when it actually happens though and everything's gone well." He admitted.

"Everything will go well, don't worry." Luke assured him.

"I really hope so." Jess said.

"Anyway, we better head to bed. Long day tomorrow." Luke said.

"Can I sleep in Jess' tent?" April asked.

"What?" Luke asked surprised.

"Please dad! I never get to see Jess much. Please?" She begged.

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Uh...sure. Ok. If that's ok with Jess?"

"It's cool with me." Jess shrugged.

"Yes!" April grinned. "Thanks dad!" She said happily and got up and disappeared into Jess' tent.

"Ok, I guess I'll go as well." Jess said. He glanced over at his uncle to see him sat staring after April, his mouth slightly open. "What's up with you?"

"That was the first time." He said quietly.

"First time?" Jess asked confused.

"First time she's called me dad. She's only ever called me Luke before." Luke said.

"Oh." Jess said suddenly understanding. "Cool."

"She called me dad." Luke repeated, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Well it is a fact." Jess pointed out.

"Yeah..." Luke said still in shock.

"I'll go check she's ok. You should get some sleep too. Call Lorelai if you want to. I'm sure she'd like to hear what just happened." Jess said giving him a small smile.

"Yeah...Yeah, I should. Uh thanks." Luke said.

"Night." Jess said.

"Night."

* * *

The following afternoon, Charlotte was having a relaxed day. She'd sketched a few ideas for her next illustration but she wouldn't call that work. She loved what she got to do everyday. Her cell suddenly rang and she smiled when she saw the caller id. "Hey! How's fishing?" She answered.

"It was good. We went this morning and Luke and April have just gone again." Jess said.

"So he trusts himself alone with April now then?" Charlotte joked.

"Ever since she called him dad, he's actually relaxed." Jess said.

"Wait, what? She called him dad? Was that the first time?" Charlotte asked.

"Yep, apparently so. You should have seen Luke." Jess smirked.

"Aw that's so sweet! I bet he was chuffed." She smiled.

"Yeah he was." Jess smiled.

"So things are going well then?" She asked.

"Everything's good? How about you?" He asked.

"I'm good." She nodded. "Did some sketching today but don't worry, I'm taking it easy."

"Good." He said.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. "Oh someone's at the door. I better go. Have fun today and I'll see you tomorrow." Charlotte said.

"Ok. Take it easy. Love you." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. "Love you too." She said softly before hanging up and getting up to answer the door. She froze when she opened it and saw who it was though. "I'm busy." She said coldly before trying to shut the door.

"Wait! Charlotte, please." Emily said pushing the door open again.

"I've got nothing to say to you." Charlotte said crossing her arms across her chest, walking away from her.

"Please, just hear me out." Emily said following her. "I've been trying to ring you."

"I know." Charlotte said turning back round to face her.

"I know you're angry at me..." Emily started before stopping.

"What?" Charlotte said self consciously as she saw her grandma look her up and down.

"You're...pregnant." She said quietly.

"What?" Charlotte said confused.

"I'm sorry. I knew you were pregnant but you're really...pregnant. I guess I last saw you when you didn't even have a bump." She said.

"Yeah, when you told me I'd be a rubbish mom. Don't need reminding thanks." She said coldly.

"I've been wanting to apologise since the day I said those things to you. But you wouldn't answer your phone. And you won't come to dinner!" Emily said.

"Can you blame me?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Your words haunt me every day! Do you know how much I doubt myself now? I'm worried sick every day that when my son comes, I won't be able to cope. I'm terrified he will hate me because I'll be a rubbish mom!"

"I'm sorry." Emily said quietly.

"No, you're not." Charlotte shook her head. "You just want me to come back to dinner. You think that you coming here to apologise will automatically make things better. Well I'm sorry Grandma, but you've have a wasted trip. I don't want you anywhere near me or my son!" She snapped.

"You forgave your mother!" Emily exclaimed, getting frustrated. "How can you forgive her and not me?"

"Because she showed me she was sorry!" Charlotte shouted. "I know mom inside out and I knew that day in hospital that she was truly sorry."

"I'm truly sorry!" Emily exclaimed.

Charlotte shook her head. "I don't believe you!"

"I am! I want you back in my life! I want to know my great grandson! Please, Charlotte! I'm begging you. Please let me make it up to you." Emily said. When Charlotte didn't say anything, she continued. "I know what I said was awful. I heard that from your mom and your grandpa. I was shocked that day. That's not an excuse, I know, but my mind went back to when we found out your mother was pregnant." She said. She sighed when Charlotte still didn't say anything. "I really am sorry. That's all I wanted to say. I'm sorry to bother you." She said quietly, before turning round and walking around.

"No wait..." A small face said.

Emily turned round and saw Charlotte looking worried. "Charlotte? What's wrong?"

"I think my waters just broke." She said quietly. "Arghhh!" She suddenly said as she clutched her stomach.

"What is it?" Emily said rushing to her granddaughter's side. "Are you in labour?"

"I don't know, I've never been in labour before!" Charlotte said. "It's too early!" She said, tears pricking her ears. "It's too early!"

 **Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :)**


	71. Chapter 71

**Thought I'd treat you to two chapters seeing as I don't know whether I will be able to update again before I get back to the UK and I thought it would be mean to leave you with that cliffhanger! :) Hope you enjoy! :) This is the big chapter! :O**

Chapter 69

"Well when are you due?" Emily asked.

"A month!" Charlotte gasped as another contraction hit.

"That's not too early. I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm going to ring for an ambulance." Emily said getting out her phone.

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Charlotte gritted her teeth. "I want Jess!" She said with tears in her eyes.

"Where is it? I can go get him. Or call him?" Emily offered.

"He's...he's not here." Charlotte said trying to breathe normally as her contraction stopped. "He..he went fishing with Luke and April..."

"I can call him on the way to the hospital then." Emily said firmly, ringing for an ambulance.

"No! I'm not going with you! I don't want you there!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Emily hung up after she was told an ambulance was on its way and looked at Charlotte. "I know you hate me. I know you're angry at me and that you want Jess. But I can't do anything about that at the moment. Like it or not, I'm all you've got at the moment and I'm not about to leave my granddaughter alone whilst she's in labour so you're stuck with me."

"Great." Charlotte muttered sarcastically but then another contraction hit and she couldn't stop herself reaching for Emily's hand for support.

"I hear the ambulance." Emily said softly. "Deep breaths, Charlotte. You're going to be ok."

* * *

Luke and April arrived back from fishing to find Jess ending a call. Luke immediately noticed Jess looking freaked. "What is it?" He asked.

"Charlotte's in labour." Jess said.

"What?" Luke exclaimed.

"That was Emily." Jess said still trying to get his head round the awkward conversation he'd just had with the elder Gilmore. "I don't know what she was doing there but she told me she's pretty sure Charlotte's gone into labour. She's having contractions. She's not due for another month! I need to go! I need to get to the hospital!" He exclaimed, trying to grab everything he remembered bringing. "I'm going to need to borrow your truck."

"You're not driving." Luke said firmly.

"I have to get to Charlotte! You know what it's been like between her and Emily. She'll be terrified! I need to go!" He exclaimed.

"I get that. But you're not driving in this state. I'll drive." Luke said.

"You're coming?" He asked quietly.

"Of course, I'm coming." Luke said. "April, I'm sorry we need to cut this trip a bit short." He told his daughter.

"It's fine!" April said. "We should go."

"Thanks. Go grab your bag quickly." Luke said. He turned to Jess when April disappeared into the tent. "Charlotte's going to be fine, I promise." He said softly.

"What if it's too early? What if something happens?" Jess turned to him.

Luke could see the fear in his nephew's eyes. "Everything's going to be fine." He assured him.

"Got it!" April said appearing from the tent.

"Good. You ready?" Luke asked Jess.

"Let's go." Jess nodded, heading towards the truck.

* * *

"Jess is on his way." Emily told Charlotte as she walked into her room at the hospital. "Your mom and Rory are as well."

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly. She glanced at her. "You can go now."

"Charlotte..." Emily tried.

"Please." Charlotte said quietly. "I need to stay calm, the doctors said, and we both know there's never calm when we're together. Please."

Emily sighed but nodded. "Ok. If that's what you want." She said.

"It is." She said.

"At least let me know when it happens. Let me know you're ok." Emily said. "Please?"

Charlotte let out a frustrated breath but nodded. "Ok, I promise. Please just go!"

"I'm going." Emily said. She walked to the door, took one last glance back at her and then left. She sat down on a seat outside. She couldn't just leave. Just then she heard a familiar voice call her. She was relieved to see Lorelai rushing down the corridor. "Lorelai!"

"How is she? Where is she? Has it happened?" Lorelai asked quickly.

"Take a breath." Emily told her. "Charlotte's ok. The doctors did a scan and said there shouldn't be anything to worry about. The baby seems to be fine at the moment."

"At the moment?"

"They said he might need some help when he's born but they will know more when he's born. They said he could be healthy." Emily said.

"So she's definitely in labour?" Lorelai asked, letting out a breath.

"It appears so, yes." Emily nodded. "You should go in there. She'll be happy to see you."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Charlotte asked me to leave." She said pursing her lips.

"Mom..." Lorelai sighed.

"It's fine. She needs to stay calm. Please, just go in. She needs you." Emily sighed.

Lorelai glanced at her mom before nodding and headed into her room. "Hey hon..." She said softly.

"Mom!" Charlotte exclaimed relieved.

* * *

Emily looked up an hour later as Charlotte was wheeled out of the room. "What's going on?" She asked concerned.

"I told you to leave!" Charlotte exclaimed, gasping in pain when another contraction hit.

"I couldn't just leave!" Emily defended herself.

"She's ready. They're taking her down to the delivery room." Rory told her. Rory had arrived half an hour ago with Tristan, who had gone to the canteen for some coffee.

"I can't go yet! Jess isn't here!" Charlotte exclaimed, in tears. "We need to wait!"

"It doesn't exactly work like that, sweets." Lorelai said softly.

"He can't miss this! I need him, mom!" Charlotte cried as she gasped in pain again, grabbing her mom's hand for support.

"Deep breaths, hon. Deep breaths." She said.

"Charlotte!" A voice called from down the corridor.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed as she saw him running towards her. The relief was evident on her face. "I thought you weren't going to make it." She said quietly.

"Oh no, nothing was going to keep me away. I'm sorry I cut it a bit fine though. There was traffic." He said.

"I don't care. You're here. I'm so glad you're here." Charlotte smiled tremulously.

"We really have to go." The doctor said. "Put these on and come with us. I'm assuming you're the dad." She smiled handing him some scrubs.

"Yeah I am." Jess said, putting the overalls on.

"Ok, so I guess now Jess is here, I'll wait here." Lorelai smiled as the doctor started wheeling Charlotte off again.

"No!" Charlotte said suddenly grabbing her mom's hand. "I want you there as well. Please mom! I need you there."

Lorelai saw the worry in her daughter's face and nodded. "Then I'll be there." She smiled softly. "I'll be there."

* * *

"Ok, one last push, Charlotte." The midwife said.

"I can't!" Charlotte cried, trying to catch her breath.

"Of course you can, hon." Lorelai reassured her.

"I can't! I just can't!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I can't!" She cried, panicking

Lorelai glanced at Jess who leant down to Charlotte. "Yes you can." Jess said softly. "You can do this, Charlie. Do you know how I know that?"

"How?" Charlotte gasped.

"Because you're amazing. You're the strongest person I know and I believe in you. One more push and then we'll get to meet our son. _Our_ son! Huh, how good does that sound? We're going to be parents." Jess smiled softly.

"I'm scared." Charlotte admitted.

"I know. I am as well. But you can do this. I know you can. Squeeze my hand as hard as you can if you like, I don't mind." Jess said.

"Even if it turns white again?" Charlotte said smirking slightly.

"Yes even then." Jess chuckled. "Come on, you can do this." He said softly, giving her a kiss on the headache. "One more push. That's it."

"One more push." She repeated.

"One more push." Jess nodded.

"Your contraction should be hitting soon so are you ready?" The midwife smiled warmly.

Charlotte took a deep breath and nodded. "Ok." She said quietly. She glanced at Jess. "One more push, right?"

"One more push." Jess nodded.

A few minutes later, a shrill cry filled the room and everyone let out a big breath. "Is he ok?" Charlotte asked immediately.

"He seems just fine to me." The midwife smiled. "We'll keep you in the night and take some tests just to make sure but he looks healthy to me. A month early isn't that early so please try not to worry. Would you like to say hello to your son?" She smiled warmly.

"Yes please." Charlotte said nervously.

"Here you go." The midwife smiled and place him in Charlotte's arms. "I'll be back in a bit to check on you."

"Oh Charlotte, he's beautiful." Lorelai gasped.

Charlotte looked down at her son with tears in her eyes. "Yeah..." She said tremulously, immediately feeling so much love for the little guy. She glanced up at Jess who she saw had tears in his eyes as well. "Your son made you emotional as well, huh?" She teased gently.

"I can't believe he's here." Jess said gruffly. "He's amazing." He said softly. He smiled at her. "So are you." He said giving her a kiss. "You were so amazing."

"Would you like to hold him?" She asked softly.

"Are you sure?" He asked nervously.

"Here." Charlotte smiled, handing their son over to him. She smiled softly as she watched Jess hold him and peer down at him adoringly.

"I'll just go let everyone else know that you're both ok." Lorelai said softly, realising they should have some space. "You did it, hon. I'm so proud of you." She said giving her a hug.

"Thanks mom." Charlotte said softly.

"Take it easy, ok? Let us know when you want visitors. I'll tell everyone to wait outside until you give the word ok?" Lorelai said.

"Ok thanks. Give us a few minutes yeah?"

"Of course." Lorelai said. She smiled at them both. "Congratulations." She said softly, before leaving the room.

Charlotte watched Jess with their son and smiled. "Hey come sit with me." She said softly.

"Is that allowed?" Jess asked.

"I don't care. I just want you next to me. Both of you." She smiled.

Jess smiled and sat down on the bed next to her. "I can't believe it's finally happened." He said.

"Pretty amazing huh?" Charlotte smiled softly, gazing down at their son.

"Yeah, pretty amazing." Jess said softly. He smiled at her and gave her another kiss. "You still happy with the name we chose?" He asked.

"Very happy." She nodded.

"Me too." Jess smiled. He looked down at their son in his arms and gave him a kiss on his head. "Welcome to the world, Jack." He said softly.

"Jack Lucas Gilmore-Mariano." Charlotte smiled.

"Jack Lucas Gilmore-Mariano." Jess repeated. "I love him already." He admitted.

"So do I." Charlotte said.

Jess smiled at her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Let's just enjoy the next few minutes before everyone comes in." She said softly.

"Sounds like a plan." He said softly.

 **So I hope you like it! I'm not a medical expert at all so I'm sorry if I got some stuff wrong in this! Let me know what you think! :) Thanks so much for your continued support, I hope you're all still with me! :)**


	72. Chapter 72

**Thank you so much for your support! Sorry this is a bit shorter but I wanted to get another chapter out for you while I could! :)**

Chapter 70

Later that day, everyone was sat in Charlotte's room at the hospital. Jess was sat next to her in her bed, Rory and Tristan were sat one side of her and Lorelai, Luke and April were on the other side. Jack was safely in Luke's arms.

"So are you going to tell us his name or are you going to make us guess for the rest of eternity?" Lorelai joked.

Charlotte and Jess smirked at each other. "Well, actually now would be kind of fitting to tell you..." Charlotte smiled, watching Luke with their son. "Everyone, this is Jack Lucas Gilmore-Mariano." She said.

"Aw that's perfect!" Lorelai said softly, cooing over her grandson.

"I can't believe I'm an aunt! He's amazing, Charlie. Seriously." Rory smiled.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Did you say Lucas?" Luke said looking up surprised.

"Yeah." Charlotte smiled. "We wanted him to know how important you are to us." She said.

"Yeah. We had the first name chosen from the start but we wanted him to have your name in some way. We want him to know the man in our life who is important to us, who we look up to. We want him to know that he can go to you for anything if he needs to." Jess said. "You've been there for us through everything. We wanted to show you we appreciated it."

"Really appreciated it." Charlotte nodded.

"Wow..." Luke said stunned, feeling a lump in his throat. "I don't know what to say..."

"You don't need to say anything." She assured him. "This was our way of thanking you, that's all."

"Well...thank you..." Luke said touched.

* * *

Later that day, Charlotte and Jess were alone in their room. Everyone had gone to canteen to get some food. Richard had made it as well and officially met his first great grandson. Charlotte looked up when the door opened and smiled as her mom walked in. "Hi."

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Lorelai asked.

"Tired." She admitted.

"I remember that feeling." Lorelai smiled. "We're all going to get off now. Let you have your rest. But we'll be back tomorrow. Thanks again for letting us stay at your place for the night."

"No problem. It makes sense." Charlotte smiled. "Are Rory and Tristan staying too?" She asked.

"I think so. Then they're going to head back to Yale tomorrow."

"Cool." Charlotte smiled.

"Congratulations again. Jack's beautiful." Lorelai smiled looking down at her grandson. "And Luke's made up about the name." She said softly.

"It felt right." She shrugged. "Right?" She said to Jess.

"Yeah." Jess nodded.

"Well get some sleep and we'll see you tomorrow." Lorelai smiled, giving her daughter a hug.

"See you tomorrow." Charlotte smiled.

"By the way, a certain someone is still sat outside. She's refused to move even when your Grandpa offered her a lift home."

"Urghh seriously?" She groaned. "She won't give up."

"Shows she cares." Lorelai said cautiously.

Charlotte snorted. "No it doesn't! She just wants everyone to think that so people will feel sorry for her!"

Lorelai sighed. "I just wanted to let you know she was still out there, that's all. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah see you tomorrow." Charlotte sighed, watching her mom leave. She turned to Jess. "Do you think I'm being too harsh on her?" She asked.

"Who? Your Grandma? No." He said.

"But..." Charlotte said knowing there was more to come.

Jess sighed. "Look, what she said to you was unforgivable. I'm angry at her too for making you doubt yourself. I don't condone what she said and totally support how you're feeling..."

"But..."

"But..." Jess conceded. "I never knew my grandparents. I don't even know the names of my dad's parents. I never met my mom's mom and I don't really remember her dad either. I know Luke would give anything to have them here now so that they could meet Jack." He sighed. "I just don't want you to regret anything."

Charlotte sighed. "I just can't forgive her...not yet..."

"I'm not saying you have to. Look I'll support anything you decide. You know that, but I just don't you to regret anything. For Jack's sake." Jess said.

Charlotte nodded. She glanced at him and sighed. "Go tell her to come in then."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"You're right. Jack has to come first now." She sighed.

Jess nodded. He gave her a kiss and then got up and left the room. He found Emily sat outside. "Hey.." He said awkwardly.

Emily looked up in surprise. "Hello.."

"Charlotte wants to see you." He told her.

"She does?" Emily asked surprised.

"Yeah. But I'm promising you now, if you upset her again, I won't be persuading her to talk to you again." Jess warned.

"I won't." Emily said quickly, surprised that Jess had been the one to try and get her granddaughter to talk to her. She assumed he hated her.

Jess nodded. "I'll wait out here." He said sitting down.

Emily went into the room apprehensively. "Charlotte?" She said cautiously.

"I've not forgiven you. I can't. Not yet." Charlotte said immediately, crossing her arms against her chest. "But Jess made me see that I should think about Jack. And he was right."

"Jack? That's his name?" Emily asked quietly.

"Jack Lucas Gilmore-Mariano." Charlotte nodded.

"Lucas? After Luke?" She asked surprised.

"Yes." She said defensively, waiting for the onslaught to come. But it didn't. Charlotte sighed when she saw her Grandma glancing at the bassinet with Jack in. "Go ahead. Hold him if you want." She conceded.

Emily slowly walked over to the bassinet with her great grandson in. She looked up at Charlotte. "Are you sure?" She asked cautiously.

"I may not have forgiven you yet. But it wouldn't be fair for me to keep Jack from you. Jack deserves to know you, whatever I think. But I swear, if you pull one more stunt like you normally do, I'll rescind the deal." She warned.

"I won't." Emily said. "I promise I won't." She smiled tremulously at her granddaughter. "Thank you."

Charlotte watched as Emily picked Jack up and she saw how her expression changed.

"He's beautiful." Emily said softly.

Charlotte's expression softened slightly. "Thank you." She said quietly.

Emily looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "No. Thank you. Thank you so much." She said quietly.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte and Jess were alone at last at the hospital. Jack was in his bassinet and Jess was sat next to Charlotte again on the bed. Charlotte glanced at him. "So I've been thinking..." She said.

"Never a good idea." Jess smirked.

"Hey!" Charlotte laughed, playfully hitting him. "I'm being serious!"

"Sorry." Jess smirked. "So what have you been thinking?"

"I've been thinking...that Jack's surname is a bit of a mouthful..." She said slowly.

Jess frowned. "Ok..." He said not sure what she was getting at.

"Normally it's tradition for the kid to get his dad's name." Charlotte carried on.

"You and Rory don't." Jess pointed out.

"True." She said. "But that's totally different. Our dad was never around. You've been there for me through everything. And...well...when we get married, I'll be taking your name anyway..." She said carefully.

"You'd take my name?" He asked surprised.

"Well...yeah. It's tradition to take your husband's name and I want to. And since we'd both be Marianos, it makes sense that Jack would be too." She said.

"I guess..." Jess said. "But we don't know when we're getting married. It could be years yet." He said, confused why Charlotte was talking about this now.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Well what if it wasn't?"

"What if it wasn't what?" He asked confused.

"What if it didn't take us years to get married? What if it's sooner rather than later?" She said nervously.

Jess turned to her. "Wait a minute, are you saying...?"

Charlotte glanced up at him and gave him a nervous smile. "You've been amazing this whole year. You've supported me so much, you've been by my side through everything, you've supported every one of my decisions. You've been amazing." Charlotte said softly. "And now...well now Jack's here, and if actually be able to fit into a dress..." She joked. "Why wait?" She said softly, looking at him nervously. "I love you so much, Jess. I want to marry you. I'm ready." She said.

"You're being serious?" Jess asked stunned.

"Why? Do you not want it anymore?" Charlotte asked, suddenly doubting everything.

"No! Of course I do!" Jess said quickly. "Of course I want to marry you." He said softly. "I just...I want you to be sure. I feel like I've pushed you before. I don't want you to feel pushed into it."

Charlotte smiled lovingly at him. "You're not." She assured him. "You've been so patient and I love you for that. And because of that, I think it's my turn to actually ask the question..." She said nervously. "Jess...will you..."

"Yes." Jess smiled.

"At least let me ask the whole question!" She laughed.

"Sorry." He smirked.

"Jess, will you..."

"Yes." Jess interrupted again, smirking.

Charlotte laughed. "Jess, will you marry me? Soon. In a small intimate ceremony infront of close family and friends." She asked.

"Yes." Jess smiled. "Yes I'll marry you." He said, giving her a kiss. "I love you so much."

"Right back at you." Charlotte smiled softly. "Right back at you, Mariano."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Not sure when I'll next be able to update so please just bear with me! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think. :) Thank you so much for your continued support! :)**


	73. Chapter 73

**Thank you so much for all your support! I'm glad you're still with me! :) My mum's away for the night so I thought I would write while I can! :)**

Chapter 71

"Welcome to Stars Hollow, Jack!" Charlotte grinned as Jess parked outside Lane, Zach and Brian's house. It had been a week since Jack was born. They had wanted to talk about and plan their wedding before they headed home to tell everyone. "This is the best place in the whole world!" She grinned.

"More like the craziest place in the world." Jess smirked.

"Don't listen to daddy. He loves it really." Charlotte joked.

"Oh yeah, it's a hoot." Jess smirked as they got out the car.

Charlotte unbuckled Jack from his car seat and picked him up. "Ok let's go!" She smiled.

They went up to the door and knocked on it. Lane soon opened it. "Hey! You're here!" Lane smiled giving Charlotte a hug but being careful not to squash Jack. "And I finally get to meet this little fella! Aw he's so cute!" She gushed.

"Thanks!" Charlotte smiled proudly.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Jess said dryly.

"Sorry." Lane smiled sheepishly. "Hey!" She said giving him a hug too. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise." Jess smirked.

"Well come in, come in!" Lane smiled letting them in.

"Hey Zach." Charlotte smiled as she saw him sat watching tv.

"Hey, how you doing?" Zach said.

"Good!" She said. "Had a baby" She joked.

"I can see that." He nodded.

"So anyway, we can't stay long but we've got two important things to talk to you about..." Charlotte said, sitting down.

"And ask you." Jess added.

"Yes, and ask you." She nodded.

"Shoot." Lane smiled, sitting down too, turning the tv off.

"So..." Charlotte said, glancing at Jess who sat down next to her. "The first thing has to do with Jack. We were wondering if you both would like to be Jack's godparents..." She said nervously.

"Godparents?" Lane said surprised. "Wow...uh...what about Rory and Tristan? I thought they'd be top of the list."

"Well they were but Rory's already Jack's aunt and seeing as how well her and Tristan are doing, he might be Jack's uncle someday so they're already connected to Jack. We wanted you guys to be too." Charlotte said.

"But haven't you got friends in Philadelphia?" Zach asked, equally as surprised.

"Yeah but I'll be damned if I put Chris and Matt in charge of our son." Jess smirked. "Besides, you guys, apart from Charlotte and Rory, were the first friends I made here. You didn't judge me, you let me join your band, you became good friends. We would really like it if you could be part of Jack's life. Please?" He said.

"Of course! Of course, we'll be his godparents. We'd be honoured!" Lane smiled.

"Great, thanks." Charlotte smiled, relieved. "Next thing, will you be my bridesmaid next Saturday?" She grinned.

"Oh my god, you're getting married!?" Lane exclaimed.

"Congratulations dude!" Zach smiled, patting Jess on the back.

"Thanks." Jess said.

"We're getting married. And quickly. We've waited too long already." Charlotte smiled. "So you'll be my bridesmaid?"

"Of course!" Lane grinned.

"And you'll be my usher." Jess said to Zach.

"Sure." He nodded.

"Oh and ask Brian as well when he gets back." Jess said.

"Will do." He nodded.

"Great! I'll give you the details soon. We have to go meet my mom and Luke. But I'll call you ok?" Charlotte smiled.

"Cool!" Lane smiled. "Aw it was so good to see you guys! And you, little guy!" Lane smiled down at Jack.

"You too!"

* * *

"So Rory and Tristan are here?" Jess asked as they walked up the porch steps to the Crap Shack.

"Yeah I rang Rory yesterday and told her she had to come home and to bring Tristan." Charlotte grinned.

"Ok. Practical question though, where are we going to sleep? Isn't it going to be a bit crowded in your and Rory's room?" Jess said.

"I guess so...I hadn't really thought about that." Charlotte frowned.

"Well it's ok. We'll think of something. Maybe we can stay in the diner apartment." Jess suggested.

"Oh yeah, maybe." She smiled.

"You're here!" Lorelai squealed opening the door. "Where's my grandson? There he is! Oooh give him here, give him here! Luke, they're here!" She called heading back into the house.

"Hi mom, yeah I'm great thanks! Thanks for asking." Charlotte joked. "I guess I have to get used to that now." She smirked at Jess.

Jess chuckled. "I still love you." He said kissing the side of her head.

"Thanks." Charlotte smirked.

"Hey you two!" Luke smiled warmly, walking through from the kitchen. "How are you?" He smiled giving Charlotte a hug and Jess a manly hug.

"So we do exist then. Someone forgot to say hello." Charlotte joked, looking over at her mom who was sat on the couch with Jack.

"She's been a little bit excited." Luke smirked.

"Really? I'd never have guessed." Charlotte smirked. "Rory and Tristan not here yet?" She asked.

"They're getting here before dinner." Luke said.

"Ok cool." She smiled. "How's everything going with April? I'm sorry I sort of ruined your trip last week."

"It's ok. It's hardly your fault." Luke said. "April's good. I'm seeing her again next week." He said.

"Really?" Charlotte said excitedly, glancing at Jess. "That's cool!" She smiled, happy that this could mean April could go to their wedding.

"I think this one might need a diaper change." Lorelai suddenly said, screwing up her nose.

"Here, give him here." Jess smirked walking over.

"Take him upstairs to the nursery. There's a changing table in there." Charlotte smiled.

"Be right back." He said carrying Jack upstairs.

"He's taking his duties full on then." Lorelai said.

"He's been great." Charlotte smiled. "Diaper changes, nightly feeds, he's been great." She said softly, glancing lovingly upstairs. "He's a great dad."

* * *

That evening, they were all sat round the table eating dinner after Rory and Tristan arrived. "So we actually came back for a reason..." Charlotte finally said.

"You mean you didn't come just to see us? I'm wounded!" Lorelai joked.

"Yeah, says the person who ignored us all day and focused on Jack." Charlotte said.

"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly.

"Anyway..." Jess said wanting to get the subject back to what it was meant to be. "We're getting married next Saturday." He said.

"Ok so I guess we're just blurting it out then..." Charlotte laughed.

"Wait, married?" Lorelai said surprised, glancing at Luke who looked surprised as well.

"Yeah..." She said nervously. "I asked Jess last week. Before you say anything, we're sure about it this time. We want to become an official family, me, Jess and Jack."

"We're sure about this. We want this." Jess nodded. "Charlotte rang Taylor and he said we can have it out in the square. Reverend Skinner is going to do it. It's all sorted really."

"Yeah, we're only having a small ceremony. Just family and close friends. So please...please just say you support us and you'll come..." Charlotte pleaded.

Lorelai and Luke exchanged a glance and then looked back at them. "You're really sure about this?" Lorelai asked.

"We really are." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Yeah." Jess nodded.

"Ok, well...who are we to stand in your way." Lorelai said.

"Really?"

"I want you to be happy. If this makes you happy, then I'm happy." She smiled.

"Thanks mom." Charlotte smiled softly. "Oh and you're my maid of honour!" She grinned at Rory.

"Definitely!" Rory grinned. "I'm so happy for you guys!" She enthused.

"Thanks." Jess smiled. "You'll be my usher?" He asked Tristan.

"Sure!" Tristan said surprised.

Jess then glanced at Luke. "You'll..uh...you'll be my best man right?" He said.

"Me?" Luke said surprised. "Really?"

"Only if you want to." Jess shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Luke smiled softly. "I'd love to be." He said.

Jess glanced up at him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

"Oooh and ask April if she'll be my bridesmaid as well!" Charlotte smiled at Luke. "If she's here next weekend, she'll get to come and I'd love to have her in the wedding."

"She'll be thrilled. Thanks." Luke smiled, touched that Charlotte thought of April.

* * *

Later that evening, Charlotte and Jess were snuggled up in bed in the diner apartment after putting Jack to sleep in their makeshift cot.

"This time next week we'll be married. How crazy is that?" Charlotte smiled.

"Very crazy." Jess smiled pulling her close to him. "It's finally happening."

"I know. I can't wait." She said softly.

"Me neither." Jess smiled, leaning over to give her a kiss. "Next week." He said softly.

"Next week." Charlotte smiled, snuggling into him.

 **So I hope you liked it! Sorry it's short but the next one will be longer as it will be the big chapter! ;) I will try and write it when I can but can't promise when I can get it up yet! Let me know what you think of this chapter! I love reading your comments! :)**


	74. Chapter 74

**My mum's back tonight so I thought I'd treat you to the big chapter before then as I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next! Hope you enjoy! :) Thank you so much all your support! :)**

Chapter 72

Charlotte woke early on the Saturday and for a minute she forgot what was happening but then she remembered what day it was and smiled. Her wedding day. She was finally getting married to Jess. She couldn't wait. She glanced over at Rory who was sat up reading in her bed. "You're up early." Charlotte said.

"Couldn't sleep. My sister's getting married today." Rory grinned.

"I can't believe the day's finally arrived." Charlotte admitted.

"How are you feeling?" Rory asked.

"Excited." Charlotte grinned.

"No nerves at all?"

"Nope. Jess is it for me. I know that for sure." She smiled.

"Well I think the feeling's mutual because according to Tristan, Jess was up at about 6am getting ready already." Rory smirked.

"Aw that's sweet." Charlotte grinned. Suddenly a cry came through the baby monitor. "That's my cue." She said getting up.

"Let me!" Rory said jumping up. "I want some cuddle time with my nephew."

"Sure go ahead." She smiled. "Bring him down here though. He will need feeding."

"Ok!" Rory said leaving the room.

* * *

After a leisurely breakfast, Lorelai was in the girls' bedroom doing Charlotte's hair while Rory was entertaining Jack. "I can't believe I'm getting one of my daughters ready for her wedding. I didn't think this would come for years yet." Lorelai said.

"Mom..." Charlotte said softly.

"No, I didn't mean it like! I just mean...I'm glad I'm here." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Me too." Charlotte said softly. She glanced at her mom. "So since I haven't had contact with dad since that vow renewal and Luke is Jess' best man, I was wondering...will you walk me down the aisle?" She asked nervously.

"What?" Lorelai said softly, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"I know we had that awful time when we weren't speaking but you've always been there for me. For me and Rory. It feels right." Charlotte said softly. "So...will you?"

"Of course I will. I'd be honoured." Lorelai said tremulously. "God I love you so much kid." She said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too mom." Charlotte smiled tremulously. There was a moment of silence as Rory continued entertaining Jack and Lorelai continued helping Charlotte get ready.

"So you've not told your dad about...anything?" Lorelai asked cautiously, glancing over at Jack.

"He knows about Jack." Charlotte said quietly. "I let Rory tell him. But he doesn't know about the wedding and I don't want him there. I doubt he'd want to anyway. He hasn't even tried to come and see Jack." She shrugged.

"No call or anything?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"No, he's tried to call but I ignored it." She said. "So...I rang Grandma and Grandpa this week and told them..." She said, wanting to change the subject.

"You did?" Lorelai asked surprised, knowing the tension between Charlotte and her mother.

"I know Grandma and I are in a thing right now but I want Grandpa there and I feel like Grandma should be there too whether she approves or not..." She said.

"Well that's very mature of you to invite them." Lorelai smiled.

Just then the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Rory said getting up with Jack and leaving the room.

"Great..." Charlotte said when they heard Emily and Richard's voices. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"It was nice of you to invite them." Lorelai assured her. "And if either of them start anything, I'll kick them out." She said, smirking slightly.

"Thanks." Charlotte said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Look who's here." Rory said coming in.

"Hi." Charlotte smiled nervously at her grandparents.

"Well don't you look lovely!" Richard smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. Excited." She smiled, surprised by his enthusiasm. She glanced at Emily. "Hi Grandma." She said quietly.

"Hello Charlotte." Emily gave her a small smile. "I see you're going through with it then."

"Why wouldn't I?" Charlotte bristled.

Emily sighed. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant...thank you for inviting me." She said.

"You're welcome." Charlotte said quietly.

"Ok your hair and make up's done! You go get your dress on. I need to go grab something quickly." Lorelai smiled, rushing out the room.

A few minutes, Charlotte slowly opened the bathroom door to find her mom back with everyone in the bedroom. "So...what do you think?" She asked. No one had seen the dress except Rory. She had gone with her and Lane to buy it.

"Oh hon..." Lorelai said, tears pricking her eyes again. "You look beautiful."

"Really?" Charlotte smiled nervously.

"We are very proud to call you our granddaughter." Richard said softly. "Right, Emily?"

"You look beautiful, Charlotte." Emily said softly.

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly.

"One last thing." Lorelai smiled, bringing out the tiara Emily had given her on her wedding day. "This was meant to be passed down right, mom?" She said.

"Oh. Yes. Yes it was." Emily said surprised.

"Would you like to wear it, sweets?" Lorelai smiled at Charlotte.

Charlotte glanced at her grandma. "Would you like me to wear it?" She asked quietly.

"I always dreamt that you and Rory would wear it one day but it's your choice. i don't want to force you." Emily said not wanting to push her, especially after everything.

Charlotte glanced down at the tiara and then slowly put it on her head and looked in the mirror. "I like it." She smiled softly.

"It suits you." Lorelai smiled.

"Don't ruin it though! I want to use it some day!" Rory grinned.

* * *

"Now you know how I felt on my wedding day." Luke smirked, watching Jess pace around the diner apartment.

"Shut up." Jess grumbled.

"Not so nice on the receiving end, is it?" Luke smirked.

Jess groaned and finally sat down. "I just want it to start. I want to see Charlotte and I want to see Jack." He sighed.

"I know the feeling." Luke said. "Just try and relax. Think of something else."

"Have you heard from Rory?" He glanced up at Tristan.

"Charlotte's excited and she looks beautiful apparently. That's all I got." Tristan said.

Jess smiled slightly. He glanced at Luke. "No word from mom?" He asked.

"No, sorry." Luke sighed. "They've been touring with their renaissance friends. She did say she was extremely sorry that she was going to miss this. She did ring you right?"

"Yeah." Jess sighed. "I just thought...well I thought she'd change her mind. I mean it is her son's wedding." He shrugged.

"She really wanted to come." Luke said.

"I know." Jess said. "I just...well it doesn't matter. I have you here. That's all I need." He said.

"Jess..."

"I don't want to think about her anymore. I've got you." He said.

"Ok." Luke said.

"Well waiting's over, Jess. It's time." Tristan said, glancing at the clock. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Finally!" Jess exclaimed.

* * *

Jess waited at the end of the aisle with Luke next to him for what seemed like hours but finally Zach started strumming the guitar, signalling the start of the ceremony. He glanced down the aisle to see Lane walk down it, beaming at him as she did. Rory then came, carrying Jack, with April, both looking excited. Jess took a deep breath, knowing the next person walking down the aisle would be Charlotte. He glanced down at the floor for a moment and then when he looked up, there she was walking, linking arms with Lorelai, grinning at him. He couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face as she got closer and closer. She eventually got to the front and Lorelai gave her a kiss on the cheek before handing her over to him. "Hey.." He said softly.

"Hey.." Charlotte smiled, blinking back tears.

"Don't start that. You'll get me going." Jess smirked.

"Sorry." Charlotte smirked slightly.

Reverend Skinner then stepped forward. "Today we are gathered together to celebrate the love between Charlotte and Jess and to join them in marriage..." He started. After a bit, they got onto the vows. "I have been told that Charlotte and Jess have prepared their own vows. So Charlotte, would you like to start?" He asked with a smile.

"Ok." Charlotte said, feeling tears in her eyes again. She turned to face Jess and took a deep breath. "Jess..." She said. "The moment we met, I knew. I knew there was something there. I was attracted to you immediately and then we got to know each other and we just clicked. I love you, Jess, and I'm going to keep loving you for the rest of our lives. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." She smiled tremulously. "Your go." She added, smirking slightly.

Jess smirked and then cleared his throat. "You were right. The moment we met, I think we both knew there was something there. You gave me the time of day and you talked to me and listened to me. You took an interest in what I said. I knew you were the one and you still are. I love you too" He said. "Sorry, I'm not good with words." He said gruffly.

Charlotte laughed slightly. "You're perfect." She smiled.

"Ok well there's only one thing left to do." Reverend Skinner smiled. "Charlotte, do you take Jess to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Jess, do you take Charlotte to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Jess said gruffly.

"By the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." He smiled.

"About time." Jess said, before pulling Charlotte close and giving her a passionate, gentle kiss.

"I love you." Charlotte smiled.

"Right back at you, Mrs Mariano." He smirked.

* * *

Later that day, the meal was coming to an end which meant it was speeches time. Lorelai stood up first. "So I'll keep it brief seeing as the mother of the bride doesn't normally speak at weddings but I needed to say something. Charlotte, you and Rory are everything to me and all I've wanted ever was for you two to find happiness." She smiled. "And you have." She said, glancing at Jess. "You found it with Jess. I know I wasn't exactly supportive of you two at the beginning but I've gotten to know Jess better and I know he loves you." She smiled tremulously at Charlotte. "I'm so happy you have found someone who makes you so happy. It's an amazing feeling and I know that Jess will take care of you and Jack." She said glancing over at Jack who was in Richard's arms. "I love you, kid."

"I love you too." Charlotte smiled tremulously getting up and hugging her.

Next up was Rory. "So I just wanted to say congratulations you two. Jess, you're now officially my brother in-law and I'm so excited! I love talking books with you, well debating books with you, but most of all I love how much you love my sister. Just make sure you keep loving her and taking care of her or else you'll have me to answer to." She joked. She then turned to Charlotte. "Charlotte, you know how much you mean to me. You've stood by me and supported me through so much and I just want to say thank you. You're the best sister I could ever wish for and I wish you and Jess all the happiness in the world." She smiled.

Rory then passed the microphone to Luke. "So..uh..anyone who knows me knows I'm not great at speeches..." He said, causing everyone to laugh. "But I wanted to tell you both, Charlotte and Jess, how proud I am of both of you. Jess, when I found out you were coming here, I may have thought it was going to be easier than it actually was." He said smirking slightly. "And then you arrived and you started wreaking havoc on the town. You nearly got banished!" He said causing everyone to laugh again but also a lot of them looked guilty. "But then...well you met Charlotte." He smiled, glancing at her. "I could see the change in you. She brought out the good in you and I knew then and there that this was going to be a good thing. Charlotte, thank you for making Jess happy. I..uh..I love you both and I wish you both every happiness in the world." He said raising his glass. "To Charlotte and Jess!"

"To Charlotte and Jess!" Everyone chorused.

Luke handed the microphone over to Charlotte, who stood up. "Well firstly, I'd like to thank you all for coming. I know this was pretty short notice but both Jess and I are so pleased you all came. You all mean so much to us so thank you. And mom, Rory, Luke...thank you for your speeches. The feeling's totally mutual." She smiled. She turned to Jess. "So I'm going to try and get through this without crying..." She said causing everyone to laugh. "Jess, we started off with everyone opposing our relationship. It was hard but gradually everyone got to see the real you. The you I got to see and know every day." She smiled softly. "You changed my life." She said honestly. "You brought adventure into my life but you also brought love into my life. And look what we created out of that love." Charlotte said tremulously, glancing lovingly over at Jack who had now been passed to Lorelai. "We're officially a family." She said. "We may have had our ups and downs but we've always come back to each other and I wouldn't change anything. I love you so much and I'm so happy to now call you my husband. So here's to us." She said raising her glass. "Here's to spending the rest of our lives together." She then handed the microphone over to Jess. "I'm so glad that's over." She joked.

Jess smirked and took the microphone from her. "So..uh..anyone who heard my vows knows I'm not great with speaking. I may be good a writing words but speaking them and expressing my emotions isn't exactly my thing..." He admitted. "But...I do know how to sing...so..uh...I'm hoping this isn't cheating my way out of it too much." He said. "Lane, Zach, Brian..."

"On it." Lane smiled as they all went up to the stage that was set by the dance floor in the square.

"So..." Jess said once he got up on it. He glanced at Charlotte. "I picked this song because I feel like it says everything I want to say. I mean every word so..uh..I hope you enjoy it." He said nervously before starting to strum the guitar he had picked up.

 _I never had no one that I could count on_  
 _I've been let down so many times_  
 _I was tired of hurting so tired of searching_  
 _Til you walked into my life_  
 _It was a feeling I'd never known_  
 _And for the first time I didn't feel alone_

As Jess was singing, he was looking over at Charlotte. Their eyes met and Charlotte blinked back tears.

 _You're more than a lover_  
 _There could never be another_  
 _To make me feel the way you do_  
 _Oh we just get closer_  
 _I fall in love all over_  
 _Every time I look at you_  
 _I don't know where I'd be_  
 _Without you here with me_  
 _Life with you makes perfect sense_  
 _You're my best friend_  
 _You're my best friend_

As Jess strummed his guitar and sang, both him and Charlotte felt like they were the only ones there. They were in their own little world.

 _You stand by me you believe in me_  
 _Like nobody ever has_  
 _When my world goes crazy_  
 _You're right there to save me_  
 _You make me see how much I have_  
 _And I still tremble when we touch_  
 _And oh the look in your eyes_  
 _When we make love_

Jess glanced at Zach and Brian and nodded before putting down his guitar and walking off the stage and started heading towards Charlotte, while Zach and Brian kept singing in the background.

 _You're more than a lover_  
 _There could never be another_  
 _To make me feel the way you do_  
 _Oh, we just get closer_  
 _I fall in love all over_  
 _Every time I look at you_

"I figured since we were so rubbish at choosing our first dance song, we could use this." Jess said nervously as he reached the table. "So..uh..would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Charlotte blinked back tears. "Yes. Yes I would." She said tremulously. "And this song is perfect. It's us." She said softly.

"Not going to ask if I have a trust fund?" He smirked.

"Not this time." Charlotte smirked. "No. Right now, I want to dance with my husband." She said softly.

Jess smiled and led her to the dance floor while everyone watched. There was hardly a dry eye in the square as the newlyweds started to dance.

 _I don't know where I'd be_  
 _Without you here with me_  
 _Life with you makes perfect sense_  
 _You're my best friend_

 _You're my best friend_

 _You're more than a lover_  
 _There could never be another_  
 _To make me feel the way you do_  
 _Oh, we just get closer_  
 _I fall in love all over_  
 _Every time I look at you_

 _I don't know where I'd be_  
 _Without you here with me_  
 _Life with you makes perfect sense_  
 _You're my best friend_

 _You're my best friend_  
 _You're my best friend_

Charlotte smiled at Jess as the song gradually came to an end. She leant in and kissed him. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." Jess smiled softly. "Am I let off for not doing a speech?"

"Oh, you're so let off!" Charlotte laughed, leaning in to kiss him again.

 **I was really nervous about this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it! :) So I need your advice! I've got some more ideas for the wedding chapter but it was getting too long. Would you like me to continue with the wedding in the next chapter or move on? I'm happy either way. I know some of you want to see more of other characters so I'm happy to leave this down to you. I'll go with the majority. :) Thanks for your continued support. It really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	75. Chapter 75

**Ok so I'm back in the UK now and I'll hopefully be able to do updates more regularly now for the next few weeks. :) Thank you for your continued support and I hope you're all still with me. I've decided to move on from the wedding because that was the overall impression I got from the majority of you. :) Hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 73

Lorelai walked into the diner with a smile on her face and went to sit down at her usual stool at the counter. "Hey!" She smiled at Luke, leaning over to give him a quick peck.

"Hey." Luke smiled. "Your usual?" He asked already getting her mug.

"Yes please." She smiled. "So April got to Philadelphia ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, she rang when she got there this morning." He nodded. "She was pretty disappointed that Jess, Charlotte and Jack can't make her party next week."

"Aw well I think it's sweet that she's gone to stay with them this weekend." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, she's become quite attached to Jess. I didn't expect it but she talks about him the whole time. And Charlotte." Luke said.

"Well Jess is a lot like you. It makes sense that she's taken to him." Lorelai pointed out. "It's nice that they get on."

"Yeah it is." Luke smiled.

"So party plans are going well?" She asked.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to take your suggestion and make it into a slumber party. I ran it past Anna and she was ok with it. And April was really excited as well." He said.

"Aw cool! Well we've got enough space at the house if you want to do it there." Lorelai suggested.

"Yeah that sounds good actually. You don't mind?"

"Not at all!"

"Ok thanks. Maybe we can start it at the diner and then move to the house?" He said.

"Sounds good." Lorelai smiled. "Anyway, I need to get going in a bit. Can I get that burger to go?"

"Sure. I'll go hurry Caesar up." Luke smiled.

"Thanks hon." She smiled, watching him disappear into the kitchen.

* * *

"Someone's clean now." Charlotte said as she walked into their living room in Philadelphia with Jack. She sat down on the couch with April. "So are you excited about your party?" She smiled.

"Oh..uh..yeah. Really excited." April said. "So...you're two weeks married, how are you finding it?" She asked.

"Oh..uh.." Charlotte said, glancing at Jess who raised his eyebrows, both surprised by the sudden change in the subject. "It's really good. Isn't it?" She smiled at Jess.

"Can't complain." Jess smirked.

"I can't believe how much this one has grown already!" April cooed over Jack.

"I know, tell me about it!" Charlotte laughed. "So how many are you inviting to your party?" She asked.

"Oh just the girls." April shrugged. "Can I hold him?" She asked, smiling down at Jack.

Charlotte glanced at Jess who nodded subtly at her, both thinking the same thing. "In a minute. I just need to go feed him. And then he's all yours." Charlotte smiled, getting up.

Jess watched her leave the room and then glanced at April. "So we're sorry we can't make your party." He said.

"Oh it's ok." April said. "It's no big deal."

"Ok, don't get me wrong but don't 13 year olds actually get excited about their birthday parties? You're going to officially be a teenager." Jess said.

"Were you excited about turning 13?" She retorted.

"Ok good point." Jess said smirking slightly. He sat in the armchair awkwardly for a moment. "Ok I give, what's up?"

"Nothing. Why?" April said quietly.

"Because Charlotte's been asking you about the party and you keep changing the subject. Luke said you were really excited about it." He said cautiously.

April sighed. "I was. I just...there's some girls in my class that aren't...well they aren't the nicest..." She admitted.

"They've been picking on you?" Jess frowned.

"Not picking on me. But I hear them say the odd thing when I walk past them and I know they think I'm nerdy." April said.

"Well then, don't invite them." Jess said getting up and moving over to the couch.

"It's too late. Besides, if I invite some of the girls, I have to invite them all." April said. "That's how it is."

"Not if they're mean." Jess said. "Have you talked to Luke about this?"

"No and you can't!" April exclaimed. "He's so excited about getting to throw this party for me. If he knows I'm not as excited as I've said, he'll be gutted. Please! You can't tell him!" She begged. "I'll be fine. I've made some good friends too and they're coming so I'll just stick to them."

Jess sighed. "April..."

"It's fine. It'll be fine." April said. "Promise me you won't tell dad!"

"Ok fine, I promise." Jess relented. He glanced at her. "But if these girls start on you, tell someone ok? A teacher, Luke or...well me. You can always call me ok?"

April gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thanks." She said quietly.

"Right, new subject, who wants pizza?" He smirked, putting his arm round her.

"Me!" April grinned.

* * *

"She said these girls pick on her?" Charlotte asked that night as her and Jess got ready for bed in their room.

"She said it wasn't to her face but they say things as she walks by and talks about her behind her back." Jess said. "She doesn't want Luke knowing because he's so excited about throwing the party."

"Poor April." Charlotte said. She glanced at him. "You want to go to the party, don't you?"

"What?" Jess said surprised. "I can't. We can't. We've got Jack. We agreed we need to get him in a routine since we've been moving him around a lot recently."

"Well yeah...but I could stay here with Jack." Charlotte pointed out.

Jess glanced at her. "Really?" He said hesitantly.

"It's only for a night. We'll be fine." She assured him. "I can tell you're concerned about April."

"I just...she should be able to enjoy her party." Jess said. "I'd talk to Luke and tell him to keep an eye on her but she's adamant she doesn't want him knowing."

"I agree." Charlotte nodded. "You go. Jack and I will be fine." She smiled softly.

"Are you sure?" He asked still hesitating.

"Of course." She said.

"It's just, I know Rory can't make it either because of classes. if she was, I'd just tell her to look out for April." Jess said.

"Jess, go." Charlotte smiled, giving him a kiss. "You should go."

"Ok." Jess said giving her a small smile. "If you need anything though..."

"I won't."

"But if you do..."

"I'll call. Yes." She nodded. "Now come on, let's get to sleep." She smiled.

* * *

The following weekend, Jess was stood at the side watching April chat with her friends. She saw her occasionally glance over at a group of girls sat on the opposite side of the room. He glanced over at them who were laughing and occasionally glancing over at April and then laughing again. He frowned when one of the girls subtly threw a piece of candy over at April before the group dissolved into laughter.

"Ok, so what are you really doing here?" A familiar voice said beside him.

He turned to see Lorelai stood there. "What?" He feigned ignorance.

"Oh please, you may have fooled Luke by saying Charlotte wanted you to give a congratulations card to Lane and Zach about their engagement but you could have just posted it." Lorelai said. "So what gives?"

Jess sighed. "You need to promise not to tell Luke."

"Why? Jess, you know I can't keep things from Luke..." Lorelai frowned.

"Then I can't tell you." He said.

"Jess, you're worrying me now. What's going on?"

"Look April doesn't want Luke knowing." Jess said.

"Knowing what?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Those girls are picking on April. They've been doing it at school as well." He finally admitted, gesturing over to the group of girls.

Lorelai frowned. "April told you this?"

"Last weekend. Charlotte was asking about the party and she kept changing the subject. She didn't want to invite them but it was already done. Apparently not inviting all the girls in her class would cause even more friction, I think." Jess said.

Lorelai glanced at him. "So you came to look out for her?" She asked.

"Kind of." He said gruffly.

"That's sweet." Lorelai said smiling slightly.

"It's her birthday. She should enjoy it and not be on edge the whole time."

"Well leave it to me. After I'm finished with them, they won't be staying over for the night, don't worry." Lorelai said determinedly.

"Lorelai...April doesn't want a scene..." Jess said hesitantly.

"Oh don't worry. I will be very subtle." She smiled sweetly before walking off to the kitchen. She returned a few moments later. "Who wants more squash?" She smiled. She gave April and her friends some more and then went over to the group of girls that Jess pointed out. "More squash?" She smiled sweetly going over to them but as she did, she did an exaggerated trip and spilt squash all over them and their overnight bags.

Jess had to chuckle as he watched Lorelai apologise profusely. He watched as Lorelai said something to them quietly and watched as they got up in a strop and picked up their bags, storming out of the house. "Subtlety really isn't your strong point." He smirked as she walked back over to him. "You should be glad Luke is still cooking and didn't see that."

"It worked though." She grinned.

"What did you say to them?" He asked curiously.

"Oh just that if they decided to stay the night, I'd have to pay a visit to the school and talk to the Headmaster about them." Lorelai shrugged. "I think they got the message."

"Who's ready for food?" Luke said coming into the room, oblivious to what had just happened.

* * *

Later that evening, Jess was clearing up in the kitchen when he heard someone come in. He turned and saw April. "Hey." He said.

"You told Lorelai, didn't you?" She said.

"Are you going to be mad if I say yes?" Jess said.

April smiled slightly and shook her head. "No."

"Then yes." Jess said. "You told me I couldn't tell Luke. You said nothing about Lorelai." He pointed out.

"It was quite funny seeing their faces when Lorelai spilt the squash on them." April said, smirking slightly.

"I thought so too." Jess smirked. "You don't want to get on Lorelai's bad side. Trust me, I know that first hand." He joked.

April giggled slightly. "Lorelai didn't like you?"

"Oh at the beginning, she hated me!" He nodded. "If looks could kill..."

April laughed. "I got a message from one of the girls." She admitted. "Said they were going to leave me alone if I didn't tell."

"Good." He nodded. "Your friends are staying over right?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Good." He repeated. "Well shouldn't you get back to them?"

"Yeah probably..." April said walking towards the hallway. She turned back. "Hey Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming." She gave him a small smile. "And thanks...for telling Lorelai."

"What are cousins for eh?" He smiled. "You have any more trouble with those girls, you tell me ok?" He said gruffly.

"I will." April said.

"Now go enjoy your party!" He smirked.

April giggled and grinned. "Ok! Thanks." She said before disappearing off to her friends.

Jess smiled as he heard laughter coming from the living room. He finished clearing up before grabbing his cell and going into Rory and Charlotte's room. "Hey." He smiled after he dialled a number.

"Hey! How's it going?" Charlotte smiled.

"Oh your mom was on fire tonight, that's for sure." Jess smirked as he settled down on Charlotte's bed and proceeded to tell her about the evening.

 **So I hope you liked it! I know some of you are thinking there's too much Jess and Charlotte at the moment but I promise you there will be more of Rory in the next chapter and it won't be as Charlotte/Jess heavy centric from now on, I promise! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks again for your continued support and I hope you're still sticking with me! :)**


	76. Chapter 76

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm glad you're still with me! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 74

There was a knock on the door of Rory and Paris' apartment. "Come in!" Rory called. She smiled when the door opened and Tristan came in. "Hey!"

"Hey." Tristan smiled. "What you up to?" He asked.

"Oh, just watching tv." Rory said distractedly, glancing back at the tv.

"I was wondering if we could maybe swap articles and give feedback on them." Tristan said. "I've finished mine but I'm not completely happy with mine."

"Oh..well I haven't finished mine yet." Rory said.

"That's ok. I can just read what you've done so far." He smiled, sitting down next to her taking his article out of his bag.

"Oh well, you'll be reading nothing." She said.

"You haven't started yours yet?" Tristan asked surprised.

"It's not due yet." She shrugged.

"Ok what's going on?" Tristan asked.

"What do you mean?" Rory said still watching a repeat of Friends that was on the tv.

"Rory!" Tristan said frustrated, picking up the remote and turning the tv off.

"Hey, I was watching that!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, all you seem to be doing these days is watching tv! You're missing classes, you're leaving your articles until the last minute. What's going on with you?" He exclaimed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rory said defensively, crossing her arms against her chest.

"I repeat, you've been missing classes. You. Rory Gilmore." Tristan said.

"Paris has been giving me her notes. So what if I've missed the odd class? I've got a lot on at the moment!"

"Yeah, because seeing if Ross and Rachel break up for the umpteenth time is really thrilling." He said sarcastically. He sighed when Rory said nothing. "What's going on?" He asked, his voice a bit softer. "This isn't you."

"I just...I don't know. I feel like I'm losing my way a bit." Rory finally admitted.

"Losing your way? What do you mean?" He frowned.

"I mean with all of this." She said gesturing around her. "With Yale. Charlotte got out. Why didn't I?"

"You want to drop out?" Tristan asked shocked.

"Charlotte did and she's doing well." Rory said defensively, crossing her arms again.

"Yeah...but Charlotte's not you. Charlotte didn't need a degree to do what she's doing." Tristan said cautiously.

"Yeah well being a journalist doesn't need a degree either." Rory retorted.

"It sets you apart if you do have one. You know as well as me that if you want to get a job with one of the big papers, they don't look at you if you don't have a degree." Tristan said.

"Yeah well what if I don't want to write anymore? What if I want to do something else?" Rory exclaimed.

"What? Like what?" He asked completely confused.

"I don't know." Rory grumbled.

Tristan sighed. "Look, I get it ok? You've just recently seen your sister get married and have a baby. I can understand why you might be questioning yourself. But Rory, you belong here. You belong at Yale. You're one of the best writers I know. I can't believe you're even considering throwing all that away."

"Why can't you just be supportive?" Rory exclaimed.

"Because this isn't you!" Tristan exclaimed frustrated. "You've been dreaming about colleges for years!"

"Logan would have supported me!" She retorted angrily. She regretted it as soon as she said it when she saw the hurt on Tristan's face.

"Well maybe you should have stayed with him then." Tristan said quietly before getting up and leaving, slamming the door behind him.

Rory groaned and put her head in her hands. Of course she hadn't meant what she said but it had just come out. She knew she should go after Tristan but she was too riled up. She knew exactly who she needed right now so she got up and grabbed her car keys and then left.

* * *

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Charlotte enthused as she sat in her living room with Lane and Zach who had come to visit.

"Thanks! I can't believe it's actually happening. I never thought I'd be getting married and that my mom would actually approve!" Lane beamed.

"Oh yeah, Mrs Kim loves Zach." Jess smirked as he bounced Jack on his knee.

"She really does! Sometimes I think she likes him more than me!" Lane laughed.

"Nah she doesn't." Zach said pulling Lane towards him and kissing her on the side of the head. "Your mom has been super cool lately though, hasn't she?"

"She actually has." Lane nodded. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you in person. You'll be my bridesmaid right?" She asked Charlotte. "Along with Rory of course."

"Of course!" Charlotte beamed.

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask you. Will you be my best man?" Zach asked Jess.

"What? Me?" Jess asked surprised. "What about Brian and Gil?"

"I couldn't choose between them. I didn't think it was fair to. So I figured I'd ask them to be ushers and you can be my best man." Zach shrugged.

"You're serious?" Jess asked.

"If you want to be."

Jess nodded. "Yeah ok."

"Cool." Zach smiled.

"Oh dear, someone needs changing." Jess said screwing up his nose.

"Ooh yeah! I can smell that from here!" Charlotte said. "Here, I can take him."

"No it's ok. I can do it." Jess smiled getting up and taking Jack into their nursery.

"He's so hands on with Jack. It must be nice." Lane commented.

"He's been great." Charlotte smiled. "Like last week, I got this bad bug and I literally had no energy at all and Jess just did everything. He told me not to worry and did all the nightly feeds and changes. He was great." She gushed.

Lane smiled. "You make a good team."

"Yeah. We really do." Charlotte smiled softly. Just then there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it. Are you expecting someone?" She asked Jess as he walked back in.

"Nope." He said sitting back down.

Charlotte went and opened the door. "Rory!" She said surprised.

"Hi.." Rory said. "Do you have a minute...?" She started to say until she saw Lane and Zach there. "Oh...sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I didn't know you had company."

"It's ok. Come join us!" Charlotte smiled. "Lane and Zach came to visit this weekend."

"Oh. Well...that's nice." Rory said quietly.

"Is everything ok?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. Look I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I'll just leave you to it." She said turning back round.

"No, wait!" Charlotte said.

"It's fine. I'll leave you to get on with your life." Rory said bitingly, before walking out of the apartment.

"Rory wait!" Charlotte called, totally confused. She glanced back at Jess and Lane who looked confused as well. "I'm sorry, I should..." She said gesturing to where Rory had left.

"You go." Jess nodded.

Charlotte nodded and ran after her sister. "Rory wait!" She called catching up with her at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come without calling." Rory said quietly. "I shouldn't...I...I'm sorry."

"Rory, are you ok?" Charlotte asked.

Rory blinked back some tears. "I just...I needed to talk to my sister. I...I just need you."

"Well you've got me." She said. "Come on, let's go grab a coffee."

"But Jess and Jack..." Rory said quietly. "And Lane and Zach..."

"Can do without me for a bit. Come on." Charlotte smiled softly at her.

* * *

Charlotte glanced up at her sister who was sipping her coffee as they sat at a window seat in her local coffee shop. Rory hadn't said anything since they got there. "You want to tell me what's going on?" She asked hesitantly.

Rory glanced up at her and then back at her coffee. "I'm sorry I spoilt your weekend." She said quietly. "I should have called..."

"Don't be silly! You're always welcome here. You know that." Charlotte frowned. She sighed. "What's wrong?" She asked again.

"I'm thinking about dropping out of Yale." Rory blurted out.

"What?" Charlotte said shocked.

"Go on, tell me how stupid I am for even thinking about it. Tell me I'm screwing up my life." She grumbled.

Charlotte looked at her. "You know I'd never say that..." She said cautiously.

"Well Tristan did." Rory grumbled.

"Ok...so you're thinking about dropping out of Yale?" Charlotte said slowly. "Why?"

"You did! Why can't I?" Rory said defensively.

"I'm not judging you. I just want to understand. Isn't that why you came here? To talk?" Charlotte pointed out.

Rory sighed and let her defences down. "Sorry." She said quietly.

"So...?"

"I don't know. I've just been thinking recently about what I'm doing with my life. Why am I at Yale? I mean I wanted to go to Harvard but I ended up at Yale. And then I see you and Jess, now with Jack, and you've got the most perfect life and you've got a job you love." Rory said. "I just...I don't know. I feel lost." She admitted.

"You're not enjoying your classes?" Charlotte asked cautiously.

"It's not that." Rory said. "The classes are interesting. My teachers are good. The paper's good. I just...shouldn't it be better than just good? Why can't I do what you did? Get out in the world."

"Rory, you're not me." Charlotte said softly.

"I know I'm not you! Tristan told me that! But why can't I be like you? What's so wrong about that?" Rory exclaimed.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, my dream was never to go to college. I only went along with it because I knew it was important to mom. I enjoyed art at school but just tolerated it otherwise. And if you think my life is perfect, you should switch places with me for a day and you'll see that it's not." She said.

"It seems it." Rory said quietly.

"Because I don't want to worry mom or Luke. Yes, I love my job and I love living with Jess and god, I don't even have enough words about how much I love Jack but it's hard, Ror. I get tired much easily now. Jack's still a newborn so he's up several times a night. Jess and I are still trying to do some work as well because we don't think it's fair to dump it all on Chris and Matt. But it's hard. We get stressed a lot." Charlotte admitted. "Jess is great and I do love my life. But it's definitely not perfect."

"I didn't know you were struggling so much." Rory said, feeling bad.

Charlotte sighed. "It's not that bad. We've just...we've got a lot on, that's all. But sitting down with Jess in the evening, having Jack fall asleep on me and just finally having some quiet time, it makes it all worth it. I wouldn't change anything." She said. She glanced at Rory. "You're not me, Rory. You loved school. Geez, you always got there an hour early every year to plan your routes to your lessons." She teased, getting a small smile out of her. "You've always wanted to go to college. Not because mom wanted you to, but because you wanted to. Yes, you may not have ended up at Harvard but Yale's a great place. You belong there, Ror." She said softly.

"You must think I'm so pathetic." Rory said blinking back tears.

"No." Charlotte shook her head. "I think you've just lost your path a bit. I get it. It happens to everyone at some point." She said. "But don't throw it all away just like that. If you really want this after really considering your options, of course I'll support you. You supported me. But please, really consider it. Yale would be sad to see you go."

Rory gave her a tremulous smile. "You always know what to say."

"I'm sorry I don't see you as often as I used to. I know it's hard. I miss seeing you too." Charlotte admitted. "We used to have sister time all the time and now I'm three hours away from all of you. It's hard for me too."

"You know I'm happy for you right?" Rory said quietly. "I'm so proud at what you've achieved."

"I know." Charlotte smiled. "And I'm proud of you too. My sister is editor of the Yale Daily News! I read your articles all the time."

"You do?" Rory asked surprised.

"Of course! You're a great writer. The best in my opinion. But I am a bit biased." Charlotte shrugged, smirking a bit.

Rory laughed slightly. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly.

"You ever need to talk, you call me ok? You need some sister time, we'll arrange it. God knows I need some time out sometimes." Charlotte joked.

Rory smiled. "Deal." She said.

"Now go make up with Tristan." She smirked.

"What...how did you..."

"Just the odd thing you said. I'm assuming you argued about this..."

Rory sighed. "I said some things I shouldn't have. I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to me again."

"Oh please! That guy loves the bones of you. He's not going to let you go again." Charlotte smiled.

* * *

That evening, Rory finally got back to Yale. After speaking to Charlotte, she spent some time with her and everyone at Charlotte's place. It was nice to take her mind off things for a bit. She knew she had to get back though. She hadn't heard anything from Tristan at all, not that she blamed him. She walked towards the door of her and Paris' apartment and saw something on the mat outside. She leant down and picked it up. It was a folder with papers in with a post it note on the front. _Logan may have let you throw your life away but I can't. You're an amazing writer and you deserve the best. Read these and remember how much you love writing. You belong here, Rory. I'm not going to give up until I make you realise how amazing you are. T. X_ Rory blinked back tears as she flipped through the folders. She skimmed through some of her recent Yale articles and then was surprised to find some she had written for the paper at Chilton. How had Tristan got them? She walked into the apartment, reading some of the articles, smiling slightly as she did. She took a deep breath before putting the folder down and then leaving the apartment again. She went straight round to Tristan's place and knocked on his door, who opened it quickly. "Hi." She said nervously.

"Hey." He said.

"I'm sorry." Rory said quietly. "I was a jerk to you."

Tristan sighed. "We all say things in anger sometimes."

"I didn't mean it. You know I'd never want to get back with Logan, right? I love you." Rory said biting her lip. "I can't believe you kept my Chilton articles..."

"They were great articles. I was...am proud of you." Tristan shrugged.

"I'm not dropping out. The insane person inside me has left and now Rory's back. And she's incredibly sorry that she hurt you when you were only trying to help to stop her making the biggest mistake of her life." She said quietly. She glanced up at Tristan. "Do you forgive me?"

Tristan smirked slightly. "You know I love that insane person inside of you sometimes."

Rory let out a relieved breath and laughed slightly. "Yeah but this was the wrong insane person. She's gone for good. I really am sorry I shouted at you." She said sincerely.

"Apology accepted." Tristan said. "Now are you going to come help me with my article or not?" He smirked.

Rory grinned. "I doubt you need help with it but sure." She said.

"Come on in then." Tristan smirked, stepping aside to let her in

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming. I love reading what you think and I really do appreciate each and every one of your comments so thank you! You are the reason this story is still going! :)**


	77. Chapter 77

**Thanks for the reviews I've received so far! I hope everyone else is still with me as I'm still loving writing this story. When I started, I never thought I'd get this far with it, let alone be near 500 reviews! I am so overwhelmed with the reaction I've got for this so thank you so much! You guys are the real reason this is still going. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 75

"Hey!" Rory smiled at Tristan as he opened the door to his apartment.

"Hey back." Tristan smiled giving her a kiss. "So what's with the urgent need for this meeting? Not that I'm complaining about."

"I just wanted to talk to you about something." Rory said as they sat down on the couch.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Well, you know how I'm heading home this weekend and Charlotte and Jess are as well for the first time in ages." Rory said.

"Yeah..."

"Well I was wondering if you'd like to come?" Rory asked.

"Sure." Tristan smiled. He looked at her for a moment. "I feel like there is an ulterior motive in me going." He smirked.

"Well..." Rory admitted. "I was thinking maybe we could babysit Jack one evening so that Charlotte and Jess can have a night out..."

"Oh! Sure, I'd be up for that." Tristan said.

"It's just that the last time I saw Charlotte, I got the impression that her and Jess hadn't really had any alone time. They didn't even get a honeymoon. I just thought it might be nice." She said.

"I do too. That's a nice idea." Tristan smiled.

"Really? You'd be up for it?" Rory asked.

"Sure, why not." He smiled.

"Ok cool! I'll ring Charlotte then." She said.

"Do you have to call her straight away or do you have some time?" Tristan smirked, leaning closer to her.

"No I guess I have some time." Rory smirked as Tristan started kissing her, pushing her down on the couch.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Charlotte asked the following evening as she and Jess were stood in the living room of the Crap Shack while Rory and Tristan sat on the couch with Jack on Rory's lap.

"Relax, we'll be fine." Rory assured her. "You've left bottles and diapers. We'll be fine." She said.

"I know but..." Charlotte started.

"They'll be fine." Jess said. "Come on or else we'll miss the movie."

Charlotte sighed. "It's just I've never left Jack for an evening before..." She admitted.

"We'll be fine." Rory reassured her softly. "Besides, mom and Luke will be here if we need any help."

"No they won't!" Lorelai said bounding down the stairs with Luke following. "We're going on our own date." She grinned.

"You are?" Rory asked.

"Yep! Everything's been crazy busy lately with the inn and the diner. We wanted some time together." Lorelai smiled. She saw Charlotte's worried expression and sighed. "But we can stay if you want us to..."

Charlotte looked up at her. "Oh no, you don't need to. I'm just being stupid, that's all." She said quickly, not wanting to ruin her mom's night.

"You sure?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. You go." Charlotte smiled. She glanced at Rory and Tristan. "I'm sorry. It's not because I don't trust you." She said.

"I know." Rory nodded. "Go on, go spend some time together. You've both said how you've missed that."

Charlotte glanced over at Jess and they exchanged a small smile. "Yeah we have." She admitted.

"Well then go. Everything's under control here." Rory smiled.

"Ok." Charlotte said going over to give Jack a kiss. "Be good for your Auntie Rory and Uncle Tristan. We won't be late." She said.

"Have fun." Rory smiled.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess walked into the Black and White Movie Theatre to find only a couple other couples in there. They paid Kirk, grabbed some popcorn and went and sat down on the red couch ready for the movie. Charlotte watched the screen as the movie started and then glanced over at Jess and smirked. She grabbed a small handful of popcorn and then threw it at him. She grinned when Jess turned to her with a frustrated look.

"Don't even start." He warned, smirking slightly.

Charlotte grinned and grabbed another handful and threw it at him again.

"Ok I warned you." Jess smirked, grabbing the whole box of popcorn and pouring it over her head.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed, laughing.

"I warned you." Jess smirked.

"Well now we have no popcorn." Charlotte laughed, picking some off her lap.

"Oh I don't know about that." Jess smirked, leaning over to get one of her neck, using it as an excuse to kiss it. He then leant up and kissed her properly. "I think it was a very good idea."

Charlotte grinned and kissed him back before snuggling into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Rory was right. This was a good idea." She said softly. "This is nice."

Jess smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah it is." He said softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lorelai and Luke were sat at a table at Sniffy's tucking into their food. "I'm glad we found time to do this." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah me too." Luke smiled. He glanced at her as she continued eating. "It's been nice having Charlotte and Jess back for the weekend as well hasn't it? And Jack."

Lorelai's face lit up with talk of her daughter and grandson. "Yeah it has. It's been a while." She smiled.

"Yeah it has." Luke nodded. He glanced over at her. "I miss them too." He said.

Lorelai smiled guiltily. "Am I that transparent?" She joked.

"No." Luke chuckled. "But I know it's been hard for you." He said.

Lorelai sighed. "You know I'm so proud of what they've achieved, what they're doing. And I'm happy they're happy." She said earnestly.

"I know." Luke assured.

"I just...Philadelphia's three hours away." Lorelai sighed.

"Three hours isn't that bad." Luke said.

"I know. But it's three hours too far." She said quietly.

Luke smiled sympathetically. "They're doing well." He said.

"I know." Lorelai nodded. "But we barely see them anymore. I know they're busy, I know that. God knows I know what it's like to have a newborn but I just miss them." She said. "Oh god, I must sound so selfish!" She groaned.

"No you don't. You sound like someone who misses their daughter. It's natural." Luke assured her. "I miss Jess too." He admitted.

"I'm sorry. This was meant to be a date." Lorelai said.

Luke smirked. "Well it is. Most of our dates end up with us talking about the kids."

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah I guess they do."

"This is nice." Luke smiled.

Lorelai smiled back. "Yeah it is." She said softly.

* * *

Rory smiled as Jack gurgled happily as she bounced him on her knee. She glanced up to see Tristan smiling at her, watching her from the hallway. "What?" She said self consciously.

"Nothing." Tristan smiled coming to sit down next to her. "Just...you're so good with him."

Rory smiled. "It's weird." She admitted. "I've never been a baby person really. Talk of pregnancy and labour always freaks me out and I've never been able to relate with babies. But...I don't know. This is different." She said.

"He's your nephew. He's family. That's why." Tristan said.

"I was worried I'd be the same with him but the first time I saw him, I just loved him. And suddenly I wasn't so nervous around babies. I would watch Charlotte and Jess with him and I would want to get involved. I want Jack to know me and I want him to like me." Rory admitted.

"Oh he won't like you." Tristan said. He chuckled when Rory stared at him incredulously. "He won't like you because he will love you. You're his Auntie Rory. He'll always need you." He smiled.

Rory smiled and handed Jack over to him. "Here, Go to your Uncle Tristan." She smiled at Jack.

Tristan smiled and took Jack. "Hey little man." He said softly, jiggling him up and down. He glanced at Rory was smiling at them. "This could be us one day." He said.

"What?" Rory said shocked.

Tristan chuckled. "I don't mean right now or even any time soon." He assured her. "But someday perhaps." He added cautiously. "It would be nice."

Rory smiled. "Yeah. Someday." She said softly.

Tristan smiled and gave her a quick kiss before screwing up his nose. "Ok someone needs changing." He said.

"Oh I know." Rory grinned.

"Ah I see! Of course there was an ulterior motive in handing him over." Tristan chuckled.

"It was worth a try." Rory grinned.

* * *

"That was surprisingly good." Charlotte said as she and Jess walked through the square after leaving the movie theatre.

"Yeah it was." Jess agreed. He glanced at his watch. "It's still early. Want to grab a coffee and go sit for a bit?" He asked.

"Sure." Charlotte smiled.

Jess paid for some coffees and then they went to sit on the bench in the gazebo.

"I'm glad Rory made us do this." Charlotte smiled. "It seems like forever since we had some time just the two of us."

"It really has." Jess agreed.

"Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change Jack for the world but I have missed the little dates we used to be able to go on." Charlotte admitted.

"Me too." Jess said. He glanced at her. "You miss being here don't you?" He said.

"What?" Charlotte said glancing at him.

"I've watched us since arriving here yesterday and then today during the day. You light up walking around the town, you love talking to all the usual crazy townspeople. Seeing your mom and Luke, and Rory and Tristan. You miss it. I've seen it." He said.

"So? I grew up here. Of course I miss it!" She said defensively.

"I'm not accusing you or anything. I miss it too." Jess admitted.

"You do?" Charlotte asked quietly, looking at him.

"I never thought I'd say it but I do." He shrugged. "I miss driving Luke crazy, I miss winding up Taylor, I miss Lane and the band." He admitted.

"I do miss mom." Charlotte admitted. "And Luke and Rory. This town was my home for 21 years." She glanced at Jess. "You know I love our life right? I'm so grateful you offered me the job at Truncheon. I love living with you and Jack and working with Chris and Matt. I am happy." She said.

"I know." Jess assured her.

Charlotte sighed. "I told myself I'd never be homesick. That it's pathetic to be homesick. How am I going to get far in life if I just miss home too much?"

Jess smiled slightly. "It's natural. You grew up here. This town was all you knew for years. It's understandable that you're going to miss it. And your mom and Rory. It was you three together for so long." He pointed out.

"You don't think I'm being pathetic then?" She asked.

Jess smirked. "No. Because then it would make me pathetic too." He said. He glanced at her. "Maybe we can do something about it?" He said cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked confused.

"Well, we could move back." He suggested.

"But...what about Truncheon? Chris and Matt? We can't just leave them in the lurch." She said.

"We wouldn't. The work I do for Truncheon doesn't necessarily mean I have to live there to do it. I can still send them my stuff. And you could do the same with your illustrations." Jess said. "We may have to travel there some days if we have other Open Houses and when you've done some more art pieces. But we don't have to live there if it's not what we want."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment before looking at Jess. "Is this something you actually want though? You're not just doing this because you know I miss being here?" She asked. "Because I don't want to move back if you don't really want it either."

"I want it." Jess said softly.

"You do?" She asked quietly.

"We tried." Jess said. "But I think we can both agree that it's not been easy recently. We've both been stressed which has decreased our happiness. This is meant to be the happiest time of our lives, being new parents, but we're too stressed to enjoy it."

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah it's been hard." She admitted.

"Plus if we're closer to here, I'm sure there would be lots of people willing to help out with Jack every so often." Jess pointed out. "It would take some pressure of us as well."

"But...we're not going backwards are we? If we do move back?" Charlotte asked hesitantly.

"No." Jess said firmly. "We'll still be working for Truncheon and we'd have enough money to buy our own place when we sell our apartment." He pointed out.

"I guess so..." Charlotte said biting her lip. She glanced at him. "So...we're really doing this?" She asked.

"I'm in if you are." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "I love you." She said softly, giving him a kiss. "I'm in."

 **So I hope you liked it! Please do let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so thank you! :)**


	78. Chapter 78

**Deleted chapter**


	79. Another Author's Note

**Hi,**

 **So I've thought long and hard about this but I'm going to delete my last chapter. I know it didn't go down very well and I think a lot of you were right that it came out of the blue. I've been struggling with writer's block for a while now and I don't want to stop people reading my story by doing unrealistic chapters. I don't want to let you down either. So if you could bear with me for a few days, hopefully I'll be back soon.**

 **I hope you will keep with me. Your support means so much to me so thank you all for keeping with me for so long and hopefully I'll be back with new ideas soon! :)**

 **Thanks,**

 **Eliza**


	80. Chapter 80

**So thanks to AJ Granger, I've suddenly been hit with inspiration so this break hasn't taken longer than I thought! So thank you AJ! :) Again, I appreciate all of your support so thank you for keeping with me! :)**

Chapter 77

"I'm so happy you've decided to come back to Friday Night Dinner!" Rory enthused as she, Charlotte carrying Jack, and Lorelai stood outside the Gilmore Mansion.

"Yeah well, I promised Grandma she'd be able to see Jack and Grandpa has been supportive so I thought it was time." Charlotte said. "It doesn't mean I'll come every week but I'll come occasionally."

"Well I'm happy because this means I'll get to see more of you." Rory smiled, ringing the doorbell.

"Yeah." Charlotte smiled. She really had missed her sisterly quality time.

"Yeah it's good to have you back kid. We've missed you." Lorelai smiled.

"You came!" Emily said opening the door.

"Oh, hi mom!" Lorelai said surprised she was answering the door.

"Charlotte!" Emily said surprised.

"Surprise." Charlotte smiled nervously. "Sorry I didn't tell you but I thought you might like to see Jack."

"Of course!" Emily smiled.

They went inside and soon were all sat at the table eating dinner.

"So where's Jess tonight? And Luke?" Emily asked.

"Luke's working. Caesar's sick so he had to lock up himself tonight. He apologises." Lorelai said, waiting for the onslaught.

"And Jess?" Emily asked cautiously.

"He's unpacking our stuff in our new place. We want to get it sorted this weekend." Charlotte said.

"New place?" Richard asked.

"You didn't tell them?" Charlotte asked Lorelai surprised.

"Wasn't sure if you wanted me to." She shrugged.

"We're moving to Hartford." Charlotte told them.

"I still don't get why you didn't move back to Stars Hollow. Why Hartford?" Lorelai said under her breath.

"You've moved to Hartford?" Emily asked her face lighting up.

"Yeah." Charlotte said.

"You can afford something here?" Emily asked.

"We sold our place in Philadelphia and we've made enough so far with Truncheon." She nodded. "Plus it's only a small flat. But it's enough for us."

"I thought your work was going well?" Richard asked slowly.

"It was. It is, I mean." She nodded.

"Then why have you left?" He asked confused.

"We haven't." Charlotte said. "I mean, we've left Philadelphia but we're still working for Truncheon. We just don't necessarily have to live there to work for them."

"I thought you were enjoying it?" Emily asked.

"We were." She nodded. "But we were missing our friends and our family. It was just too far away."

"Won't you need to be there some days though? Like that Open House you had." Richard said.

"Yeah but Chris and Matt said we can bunk with them when we have to." Charlotte said.

"And Jess was ok moving back?" Emily asked unconvinced.

"It was his idea." Charlotte said. "He's been great but we've been stressed lately and we've both missed people here. It was a joint decision."

"Hey, Rory, why don't you tell them about the article you're writing for the paper at Yale?" Lorelai said, getting a grateful look from Charlotte in response.

"Oh yes, how is that going?" Richard smiled.

* * *

Charlotte returned back to her and Jess' new flat. "Jess!" She called as she came in. She saw him just putting his cell down. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Oh. Hey." He smiled, but Charlotte noticed his smile seemed forced.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, fine." He nodded. "How was dinner?"

"Yeah it was good actually. They enjoyed seeing Jack." She smiled. "He missed you though." She said handing him over.

"Hey little man." Jess smiled softly and sat down on their new couch with him.

Charlotte watched him for a moment. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked putting her jacket away. "Who was on the phone?"

Jess sighed. "An old friend from New York." He admitted.

"Oh." Charlotte said surprised.

"His..uh..his dad passed away last night." He said quietly.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Did you know him well?" Charlotte said shocked, going to sit down next to him.

"Yeah.." He said quietly. "He..uh..They lived in the apartment opposite ours. I became friends with Sam pretty early on and his dad was really nice. He started realising that..well..my life wasn't great..."

"You don't have to talk about it. I know it's hard for you to talk about that time." Charlotte said softly.

"It is. But you're my wife now...geez that still sounds weird." Jess said chuckling slightly.

"Tell me about it." Charlotte smirked.

"Sam's dad...Tim was him name...anyway, he realised my life wasn't great so I used to go over most evenings and he'd let me bunk there most nights. But I'd noticed that he started having a lot of leftover food from their dinner. I realise now that he must have deliberately made more in case I showed up. He always made sure I ate. He looked out for me. It was nice." He admitted.

"That's really nice." Charlotte smiled softly. "I'm so sorry, Jess. This must have been a huge shock for you. And your friend. How's he doing?"

"Not great. It was a heart attack apparently. Came out of nowhere." Jess said. "His mom died when he was young so it was him and his dad for so long. They were so close. A bit like you and Rory with your mom."

"Poor him." Charlotte said quietly. "Has he got anywhere to go?"

"Yeah he's got other family but...well it's not the same." He said.

"Of course." Charlotte sighed. "Oh Jess, I'm so sorry. Do you...uh...do you want to go back to New York? You could see Sam."

"I was thinking of going to the funeral." Jess admitted. "They did so much for me when I needed it. I want to be there to support Sam."

"Of course." Charlotte nodded. "Hey, how about I ask mom and Luke to look after Jack and I'll come with you?" She said softly.

"Really?" He asked glancing at her.

"If you want me to come." She said.

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, that would be nice." He said softly. "I..uh..I also told Sam that he needed any time away from New York that he could come bunk here for a bit if he needed to."

"Of course. Your friends are always welcome, Jess." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks." He said. He glanced at her. "Can I ask you something?" He asked hesitantly.

"Sure." She said.

"Have you...uh...have you talked to your dad recently?" He asked.

"What? No." She said surprised.

"Have you been thinking about maybe...getting in touch with him?" Jess asked.

"Where is this coming from?" Charlotte frowned. "You know I've cut ties with him..."

Jess sighed. "I know. And I understand why you have and I support you but..."

"But...?"

"I never knew my dad... but Tim was as close as I got to feeling like I had a dad. He did a lot for me." Jess said. He glanced at her. "I always told myself I'd go back and thank him one day but now...well I don't have a chance to do that. I just...I don't want you to have the same regrets that I do..." He said cautiously. "I know it's not the same and I know you don't like talking about your dad but..."

"No." Charlotte sighed. "I get what you're saying. I'm sure Tim knew how grateful you were. He would have known."

"I really hope so." Jess sighed. "Look, I know you don't like your dad being brought out. You don't like talking about him..."

"No." Charlotte said. "You shared stuff with me that was hard for you to share. I should do." She sighed. "Look, when I was young I would want nothing more for my dad to show up. I used to wait every day hoping he would. He would ring and say he would come to mine and Rory's birthday parties but he never showed. He wouldn't even remember to send a card..."

"Seriously?" Jess asked surprised.

"Mom used to forge cards from him. Rory was none the wiser but I realised pretty quickly." Charlotte said.

"Rory still doesn't know?"

"Oh she does now. Just not then." Charlotte said.

"You never told your mom you knew?" Jess asked.

"No. It would have upset her. She wanted nothing more for us to have a relationship with him. It would have upset her if she knew I knew what a downbeat he was." She sighed. "Then he surprised us all and turned up in Stars Hollow for the first time."

"How old were you?"

"16." Charlotte said.

"What?" Jess said surprised.

"I mean we saw him in other places when we were younger but he never came to see us. Until the year before you arrived. Rory was ecstatic." Charlotte said.

"You weren't?"

"I was used to his ways now. I knew he'd leave nearly as quickly as he came." Charlotte said. "Rory wanted to give him a tour of the town so I went along with them. But do you know what he did? The first time he came to the town and Rory wanted to excitedly show it off to him but he spent the whole time slagging off the town and everyone in it." She said shaking her head.

"Seriously?" Jess asked raising his eyebrows.

"This is the place his children grew up and he decides to slag it off. He called them lunatics. I mean who does that? These people helped mom raise us and he calls them names. Maybe if he had been around, mom wouldn't have needed their help!" She exclaimed. She let out a breath. "Sorry..."

"It's ok." He said.

"Then we had this disastrous dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. They invited my dad's parents round and let's just say they weren't exactly pleased to see us." Charlotte said.

"You never mention your other grandparents..."

"Because they've wanted nothing to do with us. Dad's father died about a year and a bit ago but his mother still doesn't want anything to do with us. They thought mom had ruined dad's life. They thought it was all her fault."

"It takes two to have sex." Jess said.

"Exactly!" Charlotte exclaimed. "But no, my mom was the one who manipulated my dad and ruined his life because he didn't go to Princeton. Anyway, they decided to say all this to mom infront of us."

"No! Seriously?" Jess said stunned.

"Yep! And guess what my dad did while this was happening? Absolutely nothing." Charlotte snorted. "He just sat there and let mom take it. At least mom tried to protect us by sending us into the other room."

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"You know, my mom and dad got together that night. They went upstairs and were upstairs quite a while." Charlotte said.

"Wow..."

"Yeah instead of comforting us, they decided to have sex instead. I knew then and there that my dad was only ever interested in mom. Mom was his number one priority. You know, that was the first time I lost some respect for our mom and I got some for our grandma." She admitted.

"Your Grandma?" Jess asked surprised.

"Yeah. Rory was upset in the kitchen. I'd gone to the bathroom and came back in time to hear our grandma tried a big up Straub." She said.

"Ok..." Jess said confused why this would get her respect.

"But then at the end, she just said he was a big ass." Charlotte smirked.

"Your grandma said ass?" Jess smirked.

"Yep!. I went in and joined them and she went on to tell us then even though we'd heard a lot about disappointments that night and in our lives, that we were never included in that list." Charlotte smiled slightly. "She told us she and Grandpa loved us and that was never going to change."

"That's nice." Jess said.

"Yeah. But that night, I lost all respect for dad." She admitted. "I mean, yes, when he showed up the year you came, he did seem different. He was around a lot and he was actually coming to mine and Rory's school events. I actually started to think he had genuinely changed and was making an effort. He split from Sherry and got with mom and I thought things might actually be good for once." She said. "Well...until it came out that he was responsible for sending you away." She said glancing at him.

"I never wanted to get in between you and your dad. You know that right?" He said.

"I know." She sighed. "But it wasn't just that. It was everything. It was just the final straw. And then everything at the vow renewal. I'd had enough of him messing our lives up. We didn't need him."

Jess sighed. "Look I get it." He said. "I understand why you feel like you do. He's a jerk. He really is." He said, glancing at her. "But...you only get one dad..." He said cautiously.

"Are you seriously asking me to make amends with my dad?" Charlotte sighed.

"I just don't want you to have any regrets." Jess said. "He's not contacted your mom since the vow renewal, has he?"

"No...not that I know of."

"And you said he's been ringing Rory more and seeing her?"

"Yeah I think so." Charlotte said slowly. "Yeah apparently he came to her newspaper panel event. She was really happy about it. Mom couldn't make it but he still went."

"Well then...maybe he is trying to make amends." Jess said cautiously.

"Yeah..." She sighed. "Maybe." She relented.

"I'm not saying you have to forgive him for all the things he's done but maybe just...try and move past it. Start afresh? I mean what if Jack starts asking about his grandpa when he's older?"

"Luke's his grandpa." Charlotte said quietly.

"I know." Jess nodded. "But what if he starts asking about your dad? What are you going to say? You said your mom didn't have a good relationship with her parents for years but you love your relationship with your grandpa now, don't you? You wouldn't change that and you're glad you got the chance to have that." He said softly. "I know your dad's a sore point with you but...you only get one."

"This means a lot to you, don't you?" She said quietly, looking at him.

"I'd give anything to see Tim one more time, to thank him. I don't want you having the same regrets." He said honestly.

"I do feel bad about not being able to see Gigi." She conceded.

"Why don't you go see him? Take Jack. Talk to him, really talk to him. If it doesn't work out, then at least you tried. At least you'll know." Jess said.

"I'll think about it." She said quietly.

"That's all I'm asking." He said.

* * *

The following day, Charlotte knocked on the door and waited for the occupant to answer it. "Hey." She smiled as it opened.

"Hey!" Rory said surprised. "Was I expecting you?"

"No." Charlotte said sheepishly. "I was just wondering if I could talk to you about something?" She asked.

"Sure, come in!" Rory smiled letting her in.

Charlotte followed her in and saw Tristan sat on the couch. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She said.

"It's ok. We weren't up to much." Rory said.

Tristan snorted. "Yeah we never are." He said. "I'll get going." He said getting up.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Rory said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause an argument. I can come back.." Charlotte said.

"No it's fine." Tristan said. He gave her a smile. "It's good to see you." He said giving her a squeeze on the shoulder. "You girls have fun."

"Tristan!" Rory called but Tristan left without looking back.

"Is everything ok?" Charlotte asked cautiously.

Rory sighed. "I don't know. It's just...we've both been so busy with classes and stuff for the paper, we haven't really found much time for each other."

"I didn't mean to intrude..." She said feeling bad.

"No it's fine." Rory said. "It's just...hard. It's fine, honestly. I'll talk to him later."

"Ok." Charlotte said quietly.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" She asked.

"I'm thinking about going to see dad." Charlotte admitted.

"Really?" Rory asked surprised. She knew her sister hadn't seen him for over a year.

"Jess got some bad news last night. His friend's dad, someone who really looked out for Jess while he was in New York, died suddenly on Friday night. We got talking and he was saying how he regrets not being able to thank him for everything he did. Talk turned to dad and Jess asked if I'd spoken to him. He doesn't want me to have the same regrets he has." She sighed. "I just...I wanted your opinion. You've spoken to him, seen him. Is he same old dad or is he different?"

"Well..." Rory said carefully. "Honestly? I think he's changed." She said.

"You do?"

"He's really made an effort to keep in touch with me. A lot of the time it is him calling me which is a nice change. He's been to some Yale events. It feels like he's actually making an effort for once." She admitted.

"But how do you know? He's made an effort before..." Charlotte pointed out.

"I know." Rory said. "But I just think it's different this time. He's gone through a hard patch with Gigi. He's really struggled with her. Everything's better now but I think he's realised that he's not been there for us. He wants to be. He wants to know us."

"What about mom?" Charlotte asked hesitantly.

"I made it clear to him that she's happy with Luke. That they're married and they're really happy. I told him if he wanted a relationship with me, he needed to leave her out of it." Rory said.

"You said that?" She said surprised.

"Yeah. I think he gets it. He says he knows he blew it with mom and that he's genuinely happy she's happy." Rory said. "For the first time, I actually believed him." She glanced at her sister. "He misses you, you know. He asks about you the whole time."

"He does?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"He wants to be part of both of our lives. I know he does. I know you've always thought I've been far too forgiving to him..."

"I've never said that." She interrupted.

"I know but I know I have been. I just...he's our dad. I do want some sort of relationship with him. I know he's been a rubbish dad to us growing up but I think he finally realises that and wants to be there for us now. I believe him." She said. "I'm not saying you should definitely go see him because that's totally your choice and I respect that but I know it would mean the world to him if you do. And Gigi...well she's great. She went through a hard time, playing up and stuff, but she's got through that and she's so sweet now." Rory smiled.

"I have felt bad about not seeing Gigi." Charlotte admitted. "I just...I just couldn't face him."

"And now?" Rory asked cautiously.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I'm in a good place now. With Jess and Jack. Maybe it is time to make amends..."

"I know it would mean a lot to him but only do it if it's really what you want." Rory said. "I'll support you either way."

Charlotte smiled. "I've missed you, sis."

"I've missed you too." Rory smiled, giving her a hug.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte was stood outside a door carrying Jack. She took a deep breath before knocking on it.

"Charlotte..." Chris said stunned, as he opened the door.

"Hi.." Charlotte said quietly.

"I..uh..I wasn't expecting you." Chris said still in shock, putting a barbie doll down.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Yes of course! Of course, come on in." Chris said letting her by.

"I..uh..I thought you might want to meet your grandson..." She said quietly.

"Thank you." He said smiling softly. "Rory's shown me photos but...he's beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Well handsome, whatever!" Chris laughed nervously. "He's amazing." He said softly.

"Thanks." Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Would you..uh..like to hold him?"

"Yeah. Please. If that's ok?" He said.

"Sure." She said handing him over and then went to sit next to him on the couch.

"He's great." Chris smiled softly. "Really."

"Thanks." Charlotte said.

"Are you doing ok?" He asked cautiously. "I..uh..I tried to call..."

"I know. I..uh..I just, I wasn't ready to talk..." Charlotte said glancing down at the floor.

"It's ok. It's not like I can blame you." Chris sighed. "So...how's your mom?" He asked.

Charlotte tensed. "I knew this was a mistake..." She said getting up. "Mom's always going to be first for you. Rory said you'd changed and I actually believed her! I was actually going to give you a chance!" She snapped. "I need to get Jack home." She said going to grab him from her dad.

"No, Charlotte, wait! Please!" Chris said getting up, still holding onto Jack. "Please! I was nervous, your mom was the first thing I thought of to ask you about."

"She always is." Charlotte said crossing her arms against her chest.

"I'm sorry. It was an innocent question. I shouldn't have asked about her, I know that now. But I was just trying to make conversation. Please Charlotte, I'm so happy you came today. Please, please give me a chance." Chris begged.

Charlotte looked at her dad and for the first time, like Rory had said, she saw the sincerity in his face.

"Please Charlotte." Chris said. "Stay. Please."

Charlotte sighed and uncrossed her arms. "I need to feed Jack in a bit. Can I warm some milk up for him?"

"Of course. Use what you need." He said relieved that she was staying. "Thank you." He said softly.

"I can stay a bit longer but I do need to get back by 6." Charlotte said. She sighed. "After Jack feeds, he'll need a nap. Maybe we can talk once he's down?"

"I'd like that." He said.

Charlotte nodded and started preparing a bottle for Jack, glancing over at her dad who was smiling down at Jack as she did so.

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	81. Chapter 81

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 78

Charlotte looked down at her son who was falling asleep in her arms after having his feed. "Is there anywhere I could put him down?" She asked.

"Yeah, I still have Gigi's old cot..." Chris said before getting interrupted.

"Daddyyy!" A girl's voice called and then Gigi appeared at the doorway to one of the rooms. "You said you'd play barbies with me!"

"Talking of Gigi.." Chris chuckled. "Sorry sweetheart, I can't at the moment. Come here. Look who's come over." He smiled, holding his arms out to her.

Gigi smiled shyly when she noticed they weren't alone and sidled up to her dad.

"Hey Gigi." Charlotte smiled softly. "You probably don't recognise me or remember me but..."

"Charlotte." Gigi said quietly.

"Oh..I guess you do know who I am!" Charlotte said surprise.

"Sister." Gigi nodded.

"Yeah I am." Charlotte smiled.

"I put a photo of you and Rory on her bedside table. I wanted her to know who her sisters are." Chris explained.

"Oh...well thanks." She said. "Well it's great to see you, Gigi. Sorry it's taken so long."

"It's ok." Gigi smiled shyly. "Who's that?" She asked pointing at Jack.

"This is Jack." Charlotte smiled. "This is my son. He's your nephew."

"Oh."

"Do you want to come and have a look?" She asked.

Gigi glanced at her dad who smiled at her and nodded. She slowly walked over and went and sat down next to Charlotte.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"He's small." Gigi said quietly.

"Yeah he is." Charlotte laughed. "But we were all this small once, weren't we?" She smirked, nudging her slightly.

Gigi giggled. "Why do you not visit more?" She asked quietly after a moment.

"Oh I..well.." Charlotte faltered.

"She's been busy, sweetheart." Chris helped her out. "She's been working and she doesn't live in the area." He told her.

"Oh." Gigi said. "So you won't visit much?" She asked quietly.

"Well actually, I've recently moved back to Hartford so I'll be able to come see you more." Charlotte smiled. "Would you like that?"

Gigi nodded excitedly.

"Well then it's a plan." She smiled. She glanced at her dad. "If that's ok?"

"Of course." Chris smiled. "Gigi would love that."

Charlotte nodded. "Right, well I should go put this one down for his nap."

"Yeah, Gigi, it's time for your nap as well." Chris said getting up. "Come on kiddo."

* * *

Once Jack and Gigi were down for their naps, Charlotte and Chris sat back down on the couch. "Gigi seems happy." Charlotte commented.

"Yeah." Chris said. "Well...I've tried. It's been hard."

"Yeah Rory mentioned that." Charlotte said. "Has she been missing Sherry?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I don't know if that was the only reason but it got to the stage where I just wouldn't say no to her so then she would play up if she didn't get what she wanted." Chris admitted. "I've had a lot to learn. I don't know how your mom did it. I only have Gigi. She had both you and Rory."

"Yeah well...she didn't really have a choice..." Charlotte said quietly.

"I know." Chris sighed.

Charlotte glanced at her dad and sighed. "Dad, I want us to get on. I do. But so much has gone on. I need to be able to trust you again." She said honestly.

"I know. I've got a lot to prove, I know that." Chris said.

"But I don't want Gigi to forget who I am." Charlotte said.

"I wouldn't let that happen." He assured her.

"Living in the area helps now, though." Charlotte said.

"Yeah I heard you say that. I didn't realise you'd moved back. What about Jess? Are you two still together?" He asked.

Charlotte looked at him in surprise. "Well, seeing as we're married, I'd say that was a very good guess." She said.

"Married?" Chris said stunned.

"Rory didn't tell you..." Charlotte cringed.

"No." He said quietly. "No she didn't."

"It was a pretty quick thing. Intimate. We did it soon after having Jack." Charlotte said quietly. She looked at him. "I'm sorry I didn't invite you...I just..."

"No. It's fine. I don't blame you." Chris said still in shock.

"I didn't want anything to ruin the day." She admitted guiltily.

"So..uh..did Luke give you away?" He asked quietly.

"What?" She said surprised. "Oh..no. He was Jess' best man so..." She said. "Mom did."

"Oh, makes sense." Chris said. "But if Luke wasn't the best man..."

"I may have asked him, yes." Charlotte said hesitantly. "Dad..."

Chris sighed. "No, it's ok. He's been there for you. I haven't. I get it." He said.

"I know you hate Luke." Charlotte said.

"I don't hate him." Chris said quickly.

"Resent him then." She said. "But he's never tried to replace you, you know. You want to know why he means so much to all of us?"

"Not really but I think you're going to tell me." Chris said dryly.

"So you know when mom started working at the inn?" Charlotte said. "She wasn't earning much so could barely afford food for us let alone herself. Some days she wouldn't eat. Then we met Luke. Rory and I would normally go to his after school to study and wait for mom to finish work. She'd give us money to buy food. He started to realise she wasn't being completely honest saying she'd eaten before though. She said that everytime she came in and he offered her something. He must have overheard us talking because suddenly there was lots of leftover food that he was going to throw away anyway. And then from then on, he made sure we all had at least one full meal a day." She said.

"That's...nice." Chris said.

"He really started looking out for us. He came to Rory's caterpillar funeral, he made mashed potatoes for us when we had chicken pox, he always remembered our birthdays..." Charlotte said.

"I don't need the whole list." He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to understand why Luke is important for us. He looked out for us. And unlike other men, he did it because he genuinely cared about me and Rory, not because he wanted to be with mom." She said.

"Like me, you mean." Chris said.

"No." She said honestly. "I mean, yeah I knew you always wanted to be with mom, but other guys were worse than you." She shrugged. "But with Luke, it was different. He was different. I think that's why mom fell for him." She sighed and looked at her dad. "I'm really not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to understand." She said.

Chris sighed. "It's ok. I do, I think."

"You do?" She asked.

"I think I've always understood. I just...I guess I didn't really want to. I was jealous." He admitted.

Charlotte just nodded. "We wanted a relationship with you, dad. You just...never showed up."

"I know." He said ashamed. "And Luke was there. He never let you down, right?" He asked. He saw Charlotte looked at him hesitantly. He chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not a trick question."

"Well then..no, he's never let us down." She said honestly.

Chris nodded. "I'll have to thank him some day then. For being there for you."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "I'd like it if you would." She said. "Mom would too." She added softly.

"So..how's Jess?" He asked.

"Why do you care? You hate him." Charlotte said defensively.

"I don't know him." Chris said honestly.

"You sent him away!" Charlotte exclaimed. She then groaned and put her head in her hands. "Urghh, I'm sorry! I didn't want to fight."

"It's ok." He said quietly. "You have every right to be angry. What I did was...well it was unforgivable. I was trying to do what a dad would do. But I guess it wasn't my place. I got it all wrong. I'm genuinely sorry."

Charlotte looked up at him and sighed. "It's ok. I just...I can't imagine life without Jess. Dad, he's been so great with everything. He's an amazing dad to Jack, he's so lovely to me. I mean he knew I was missing home. It was his idea to move closer to Stars Hollow." She said. "I just...Jess is my life, dad. I love him."

"Well...then maybe I could start again with him then? You could bring him next time you come and visit?" He suggested. "That is, if you do want to come again..." He added hesitantly.

"I promised Gigi." Charlotte said.

"I know but..."

"I want to." She said quietly. "I want a relationship with you." She finally admitted.

"I'd like that as well." He smiled softly. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"Me too." Charlotte admitted. Just then her cell rang. "Oh sorry!" She said picking it up. "Talking of the other half." She smiled. "Sorry, do you mind?" She asked her dad.

"Not at all." Chris said.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled into the phone. Her smile soon vanished though. "Uh...yeah this is Charlotte Mariano." She said. "What? Well how bad was it? Is he ok?" She asked frantically. "No..yes I understand. I'll come now." She said, hanging up the phone.

"Charlotte?" Chris said getting up.

"It's...It's Jess...He's been in a car accident..." She said tremulously. "He..uh..he's been taken to hospital..." She said shakily.

 **Sorry to leave you on such a cliffhanger but I have to leave you wanting more! Let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for your support! :)**


	82. Chapter 82

**Thanks for your support! :) Now I'm not a medical expert so please don't be too harsh on me! I hope I did it justice!**

Chapter 79

"I need to get Jack. I need to get to the hospital!" Charlotte said, pacing around. "No I need to ring Luke and mom first..." She said walking towards her phone. "No, I should get Jack first..." She said changing her mind.

"Ok, calm down." Chris said going over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"How? How can I calm down?" Charlotte exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "Jess is in hospital! They wouldn't even tell me how bad it was! I need to go!"

"Ok but I'll drive you. There's no way I'm letting you drive in this state." Chris said calmly.

"But...Gigi..." She said weakly.

"I can drop her off at my mom's on the way. I'm assuming he's at Hartford Memorial?" He said. Charlotte just nodded. "Ok, well my mom's house is on the way there. You go get Jack ready and I'll give her a quick call now to warn her I'm coming." He said.

Charlotte nodded and went to go get Jack. She turned back to see her dad picking up his phone. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She said quietly.

* * *

"I need to call Luke." Charlotte said quietly after they dropped Gigi off.

"Luke?" Chris said surprised.

"Jess is like a son to him. He'll be worried sick." She sniffed.

"Oh. Right, of course." Chris said. "He's his nephew right?" He said trying to remember the connection.

"Yeah but Luke's been like a dad to him..." She said quietly. She dialled a number on her phone. "Luke? Hi, it's me. Charlotte." Charlotte said on her cell. "There's been an accident...No I'm fine, it's...it's Jess. I don't know what happened, just that he was in a car accident...I got a call from one of the paramedics...I don't know, they wouldn't tell me anything..." She said her voice shaking. "No..I'm not driving...Uh..my dad is...I was at his when I got a call...He offered to drive me..." She said glancing at her dad. "Yeah ok...Yeah I'll see you there...Hartford Memorial, yeah...Ok...Ok bye Luke." She said before hanging up.

"He's coming?" Chris guessed.

"Yeah." She said quietly. "I should call mom..." She said dialling another number. She rang her, talked to her for a bit and then hung up. "She's at a meeting out of town but she said she would leave as soon as she could." She said.

Chris nodded. He glanced across at her. "He'll be ok." He said reassuringly.

"How do you know? They wouldn't tell me anything!" Charlotte exclaimed tearfully. "What if it's really bad? I can't lose him, dad. I just can't!"

"Stop driving yourself crazy, not until you know the facts." Chris said softly. "Don't start asking what ifs when you don't know exactly what happened. He could be totally fine."

"Then why didn't they just say that on the phone? Why has he been taken to hospital?" She retorted. She let out a big breath. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. "You're killing yourself to get me there and I'm just shouting at you..."

"It's ok." He assured. "I understand."

"He's everything to me. I can't...I just can't lose him." She sniffed.

* * *

"He's in surgery?! That's all they can tell me!" Charlotte exclaimed pacing up and down the hallway.

"Come on, Charlotte, sit down." Chris tried as he looked over at Jack in baby carrier to check he was still sleeping peacefully.

"Surgery? Surgery's not good, is it? It means it was really bad!" She exclaimed. "Oh god.."

"Charlotte..." Chris said softly.

Charlotte finally collapsed into the seat next to her dad and broke down. "I just want to know. I wish they would just tell me what's going on!" She cried.

"Maybe they genuinely don't know." Chris said softly. "They might want to make sure they know for sure before they tell you."

"Well the waiting sucks! They wouldn't even tell me how long they will be!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I know it's hard." Chris said.

"How? How can you possibly know what I'm going through?" Charlotte said.

"You forget I was here when my dad died." He said. Charlotte went quiet. "I mean I know it wasn't the same thing. We hated each other most of my life but...sitting here, while doctors worked on him, not knowing what was going on. It was hard." He said quietly. He glanced at her. "I know what it's like."

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly. "I just...I don't know what to do. I feel so useless!"

"Charlotte!" A voice called.

They both looked up to see Luke rushing down the hallway. "Luke!" Charlotte said relieved to see him.

Chris watched as Charlotte jumped up and without hesitation, rushed to him and gave him a hug. He watched their interaction as Luke cradled her hair gently in the hug. He watched as he asked her if she was ok. He watched and he saw the closeness between them. He brought himself out of it when he saw them walking towards them.

"They haven't told me anything. Just that he's in surgery." Charlotte was telling Luke. "They won't even tell me how bad it was..."

"I'm sure they will let us know when they know." Luke assured her.

"That's what dad said." Charlotte sighed. "I just...the waiting's killing me! What if he's dying? I need to see him!" She exclaimed.

"Ok you need to calm down." Luke said softly. "We don't know for sure what's happened. Don't let your mind take you places when he could be fine. Go get yourself a coffee."

"A coffee?" She said confused.

"You're like your mom. For some crazy reason, coffee actually calms you down." Luke said.

Charlotte smiled slightly.

"Go on. I'll get you if there's any news but you need to keep yourself busy." He said.

"Ok." She finally relented. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure if they have some." He nodded.

"Dad?" Charlotte offered.

"Oh..no I'm fine thanks." Chris said.

Charlotte hesitated before leaving. "You two will be ok right?"

Chris smiled slightly. "Hey we've got Jack. He'll play peacemaker." He joked.

"We'll be fine." Luke nodded.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "I'll be right back." She said before walking off.

Chris glanced over at Luke who watched Charlotte disappear from sight before putting his head in his hands. "You're good at calming her down." He said.

"What?" Luke said looking up, slightly surprised Chris was talking to him.

"Charlotte." Chris said. "She was pacing the hallway before you got here. Then you arrived and she calmed down. You're good with her." He said.

"Yeah, well...I've known her a long time." Luke said gruffly. "I know things about her."

Chris sighed. "I wasn't trying to start anything." He said. "I was just trying to make conversation."

Luke glanced over at him and just nodded. "Thanks for driving her here. It put Lorelai and my minds at ease knowing she wasn't driving." He said gruffly.

"She was in no state to drive. I did what anyone would have done." Chris said. "What a good dad would do. It's about time I'm one of those." He sighed. There was an awkward silence between them. Chris glanced over at Luke. "This must have hit you hard too." He said cautiously.

"What?" Luke said.

"Well, Charlotte was beside herself with worry. She mentioned that Jess is like a son to you so this must be hitting you hard too." He said hesitantly.

Luke sighed. "He just...he needs to be ok." He said.

"I know this might not be the right time but...I wanted to apologise..." Chris said awkwardly.

Luke looked up at him. "Apologise?" He said surprised.

"What happened at the vow renewal...what I said to you..." Chris said hesitantly.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Luke said sharply. He sighed. "It's in the past." He said.

"I know but I meant to apologise sooner. I...I drank way too much, Emily made me believe I had a chance with Lorelai. I was stupid. And because of that, I've spent over a year without one of my daughters speaking to me." He said quietly. He looked over at Luke. "When I drink too much, I turn into a jerk. I was jealous when I saw you two together." He admitted. "I'm sorry."

Luke glanced over at him and sighed. "Don't worry about it." He finally said.

"Charlotte thinks a lot of you." Chris said.

"The feeling's mutual." Luke said.

"Thank you." Chris said after a moment.

"For what?" Luke said confused.

"For being the dad to Rory and Charlotte when I wasn't. For looking out for them. For...being the man Lorelai deserves to be with." He said quietly. He glanced over at Luke. "I'm sick of fighting, Luke." He admitted. "I've been enjoying being back in touch with Rory and Charlotte has for some reason decided to give me another chance. I don't want to let them down again."

"That's good to hear." Luke said carefully.

"I guess I'll always love Lorelai but I respect that she's chosen you. She married you. Can we...Could we...Truce?" He asked cautiously holding out his hand.

Luke glanced over at him and then at his hand. He sighed before shaking it. "You pull another stunt like you did..."

"I won't." He said quickly.

"Then we're good." Luke nodded.

"Thank you." Chris said gratefully.

* * *

About an hour later, they still didn't have any news about Jess. Lorelai had arrived and was sat next to Charlotte. Rory and Tristan had arrived as well but they were spending all the time sniping at each other.

"How much longer can they be?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I'm sure someone will be along soon." Lorelai assured her daughter.

"But when? How long does it take? Why won't someone just tell me what's going on?" Charlotte exclaimed getting up and pacing around again.

"I'm sure he will be ok." Rory said, causing Tristan to snort. "What?" She snapped.

"Nothing." Tristan said.

"You obviously have something to say." Rory retorted.

"Well, you just think you know everything anyway so what's the point." Tristan said.

"Whatever." Rory snapped.

"Will you two just shut up?!" Charlotte exclaimed causing everyone to jump. "Jess is in surgery, possibly dying! And all you two can do since coming here is snipe at each other and dig at each other!" She exclaimed. "Even Luke and dad are being civil because they know what I'm going through! Just get out of my sight!" She snapped.

"What?" Rory said surprised.

"I mean it! If you're just going to fight, I don't want you here so just go!" She exclaimed tearfully. "I can't deal with this now!"

Rory and Tristan glanced at each before getting up, looking ashamed, and walking in the direction of the canteen.

Charlotte let out a big breath just as a doctor came up to them.

"Family of Jess Mariano?" He said.

"Yes! I'm his wife. Is he ok?" Charlotte asked quickly, seeing Luke stand up as well.

"Well, we were worried when your husband was brought in. The crash was a bad one and we were worried he could have a head trauma or damage to his spine." The doctor said.

"And?" Charlotte said, feeling sick.

"Jess was very lucky." The doctor said. "He broke his leg badly so we had to pin it in surgery. He also fractured his right wrist. We were worried he had internal bleeding but luckily he didn't. He has severe whiplash which we've prescribed him painkillers for but other than that, he has been very lucky. His leg will take quite a while to heal and he will need to use crutches but other than that, we're positive Jess will make a full recovery." He smiled.

"He's going to be ok?" Charlotte said letting out a relieved breath. "He's really going to be ok?"

"Yes, he will be ok." The doctor smiled. "I'm sorry no one gave you any news sooner. I know the waiting must have been hard for you all but Jess was our first priority."

"It's ok. Thank you so much! Just...thank you." Charlotte smiled tremulously. "Can...can I see him?" She asked.

"Of course. He will be a bit groggy at first but that will wear off." He said. "I'll show you the way."

"Do you want to come?" She asked Luke.

"I'll come in a minute. You should go first." He smiled softly. "Tell him...well tell him I'm glad he's ok." He said.

Charlotte smiled. "I will." She said softly. "Come on little man, let's go see your daddy." She smiled, picking up Jack who had finally woken up.

* * *

Jess opened his eyes and looked round. He squinted as he took in the bright lights and winced as a shot of pain came from his neck. He looked down and saw his leg in plaster. He heard the door opened and he saw Charlotte come in with Jack. "Hey.." He said hoarsely.

"Hey." Charlotte said softly. "You've worried me sick today. I turned into a crazy lady." She tried to joke.

"Sorry." He said taking a sip of water for his voice.

Charlotte sighed. "No, you don't need to be sorry. I'm just so glad you're ok. You were so lucky, Jess..."

"Yeah, I realise that..." Jess sighed.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"I was going to get some take out for when you got back. I thought...well I thought if it hadn't gone well with your dad, you may need some comfort food. I was driving carefully, I swear. This car must have run a red light because the last thing I remember is this car crashing straight into the side where I was sitting. That's the last thing I remember." He said.

"Oh Jess..." Charlotte said blinking back tears.

"Hey.." Jess said softly, taking hold of her hand. "I'm ok." He said. "Look at me, I'm ok."

"But you could have died, Jess." Charlotte said. "I could have lost you. We both could have lost you." She said giving Jack a kiss on the head.

"I'm sorry." Jess said softly.

Charlotte let out a shaky breath. "Just promise me you won't put me through something like this again." She said.

"I promise." He said. "Looks like I won't be able to drive for a bit anyway." He sighed, gesturing to his leg.

"Yeah...the doctor said you will need crutches." Charlotte said.

"Aw geez..." Jess groaned.

Charlotte smirked slightly. "But hey, there's a good side to this..."

"What?"

"I get to play nurse." She smirked.

Jess chuckled slightly. "I guess I'll live then." He smirked. "Hey..." He said softly, when he saw Charlotte wipe some tears away again. "Come here..."

Charlotte got up and leaned forward, giving him a kiss. "I love you." She said.

"I love you too." Jess said softly. "You too, little man." He smiled at Jack.

"Luke's outside. He's been worried too." Charlotte said.

"Geez, I'm going to have to be sappy aren't I?" He joked.

"Hey!" Charlotte said smirking slightly. "He has been worried though."

"Yeah.."

"This one needs a feed. How about I take him out to feed him and I'll send Luke in?" She said. "I'll come back in after."

"Ok." He nodded.

Charlotte leant over and gave him another kiss. "Rest ok?"

"Yes ma'am." He smirked.

Charlotte laughed slightly. "I'll see you in a bit."

"See you." Jess smiled and watched them leave.

* * *

Charlotte went out and found Luke and her mom sat outside there. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey! How is he?" Lorelai said.

"In pain but he's ok. He's going to be ok." Charlotte said relieved. "He said he wanted to see you." She smiled at Luke. "Both of you should go and see him. I'm just going to feed this one. And I might grab something too." She said.

"Ok. Hey.." Lorelai said as Charlotte went to walk away. "You ok?" She asked softly.

"I am now." Charlotte smiled softly. She smiled as she watched them go into Jess' room before heading towards the canteen. As she was walking there, Rory and Tristan came round the corner, holding a coffee and some snacks. "Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey." Rory said quietly. "Apology offering." She said as they both gave her the coffee and snacks.

Charlotte sighed and smiled slightly. "Thanks." She said softly. "I'm sorry I shouted at you. I was scared."

"No, you don't need to apologise. We need to." Rory said. "We should have been here for you, not sniping at each other. We're really sorry." She said sincerely.

"Yeah, we weren't thinking what you were going through." Tristan said ashamed. "How is Jess?"

"He's going to be ok." Charlotte smiled relieved. "A broken leg, a fractured wrist, some whiplash but that's it thankfully. He was very lucky."

"That's great news." Rory smiled giving her sister a hug. "I'm glad he's ok."

"Luke and mom are in with him now but I'm sure he'd like to see you both too." She said.

"We'll definitely go and say hi." Rory said.

"What's going on with you two anyway?" Charlotte asked. "I thought you were good."

Rory and Tristan glanced at each other. "Just...just some stuff we need to sort out." Rory said.

"Yeah." Tristan said. "I'm sorry we brought it here. We shouldn't have." He said.

"It's ok." Charlotte said. "Just sort it." She smiled. "I need to find somewhere to feed this one." She said.

"Oh dad's in the canteen by the way." Rory said.

"He's still here?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Yeah." She nodded. "He wanted to say goodbye before he left."

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Thanks, I'll go find him." She said. She headed to the canteen and saw her dad by the vending machine. "Hey." She said.

"Oh hey!" Chris said. "How is he?"

"Yeah..he's going to be ok." Charlotte nodded. "Told him I turned into a crazy lady though." She joked.

Chris chuckled. "I think that's understandable." He said.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being here." She said quietly. "And...for staying. It might not have seemed like it but it did help. So thanks." She said.

Chris smiled. "I'm glad I could be of help."

"No seriously, dad." Charlotte said sincerely. "It...well it felt like I finally had my dad back."

"I want to be here for you, Charlotte. If you'll let me." He said softly.

Charlotte smiled. "I'd like that." She said softly.

"I..uh..I should get back to Gigi." He said reluctantly.

"Oh of course. Go! Give her a kiss from me." She said.

"I will." He smiled. "I..uh..I'll see you around?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. I'll ring you." She smiled.

"I look forward to it." Chris smiled. "Bye kiddo." He said going to walk away.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" He said turning round.

Charlotte smiled and went forward to hug him. "Thanks." She said softly.

"Take care, yeah?" He smiled, before giving Jack a kiss and then leaving.

Charlotte smiled watching him before finding somewhere to sit to give Jack a bottle. She let out a breath. _God it's been an eventful day!_ She thought.

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love seeing what you think! Thanks again for your support! :)**


	83. Chapter 83

**Wow, I honestly can't believe I've got over 500 reviews! Thank you so so much for your support! You have no idea how much it means to me. :) Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter 80

Rory and Tristan drove back to Yale in silence in the evening. Jess had to stay in overnight so they decided to head back to Yale. They had one week left until the summer so they were going to see everyone then anyway. Rory glanced at Tristan while he walked her back to her place. They got to the door and there was an awkward silence.

"Well, I guess I'll see you..." Tristan said, starting to walk away.

"I think you should take it." Rory said quietly.

"What?" Tristan said turning around.

"I think you should take it." She repeated.

"But you said..."

"I know what I said but it was selfish of me. This is a huge opportunity for you." Rory said. "I mean the San Francisco Chronicle singled you out. They want you. And they're offering to fund your last year of study. It's too good to say no."

"But...what about us?" Tristan said hesitantly.

"Well..." Rory said swallowing a lump in her throat. "This job should be your priority. I mean I know my career will be when I finish Yale..."

"Well that's just lovely." Tristan said sarcastically.

"What?" She said.

"To find out how little I mean to you." He said. "I was willing to give this up for you! But I guess you wouldn't do the same for me, so fine! Guess that's it then." He snapped.

"Tristan..." Rory tried.

"Whatever Rory. Have a good life!" Tristan said before walking off.

"Tristan!" Rory called after him but he just kept walking.

* * *

Charlotte drove her and Jess back to their apartment the following day. Luckily their apartment block had a lift so Jess didn't have to use the stairs. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she placed Jack's baby carrier down as he was sleeping.

"I'm ok." Jess said.

"Are you sure? No pain?" She checked.

"I'm fine." He assured her, managing to sit himself down on the couch.

"Ok, so what's wrong then?" She asked.

"What?" He said looking up.

"Jess, I know you. I know when you've got something on your mind." Charlotte said. "So if it's not the pain, what is it?"

Jess sighed. "I just...It's the funeral this week. For Tim." He said.

"Oh." She said suddenly understanding.

"How am I meant to get to New York like this? I can't drive!" He said. "I know it seems small but I need this. I need to go. For me. And for Sam. I need to be there."

"Ok, well...what if I drive?" Charlotte suggested. "I was going to go with you anyway. I can drive."

"But how am I going to cope in the car with this?" Jess said gesturing to his leg.

"Well..." She said. "We can take breaks on the way and you could walk around a bit. Or you could sit yourself across the back seats?"

Jess looked at her hopefully. "You really think it would work?"

"We'll make it work. You want to go the funeral, we'll make it work." Charlotte smiled. "I know this is important to you so we'll figure something out."

Jess gave her a small smile. "Thanks." He said gruffly. "So what do you think is going on with Rory and Tristan then?" He changed the subject.

"Oh I don't know." She sighed. "You noticed the tension as well then?"

"Yeah it was kind of obvious." Jess said.

Charlotte sighed. "I have no idea what's happened. I thought they were good."

"Well maybe they'll figure it out then." Jess shrugged.

"Hopefully." She said.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess did make it to the New York in the end after dropping Jack off with Luke and Lorelai to look after for the night. "Wait a minute.." Charlotte said as Jess tried to get out as he was sitting along the back seats in the back of her car.

"What?" He said turning to her.

"Say cheese!" Charlotte grinned she she brought out her digital camera.

"Oh geez, seriously?" Jess groaned.

"Just a little memento." She grinned. "Ok, now you can get out."

"Gee thanks." He said dryly.

They walked to the crematorium and Jess looked around at the crowd of people waiting. "There's Sam. Come on." He said leading Charlotte through the crowds on his crutches towards Sam. "Sam!" He said.

A boy of Jess' age with short blonde hair turned and immediately smiled. "Jess!" He said giving him a careful hug. "Geez you weren't joking, were you?" He joked, having heard about the accident.

"Yeah, it's not been the best few days." Jess smirked.

"Well I really appreciate you coming despite that. It really means a lot to me." Sam said sincerely.

"I want you to meet someone. This is Charlotte." He said introducing Charlotte.

"Ah the wife!" Sam smiled, holding out his hand to her. "It's great to finally meet you."

"Yeah you too." Charlotte smiled, instantly warming to him.

"This one deserves some happiness. I'm glad he's found it." Sam smiled.

"Geez embarrass me, why don't you." Jess said dryly.

Sam smirked. "Sorry. So where's this kid of yours?" He asked.

"With my mom and his uncle." Charlotte said. "We didn't think this would be the best place to bring him."

"Probably right." Sam nodded, a flicker of sadness going over his face as he remembered the situation.

"You'll have to come stay with us sometime. You can meet him then." Charlotte said.

"I'd like that." He smiled.

"Looks like people are going in." Jess nodded towards the front where people were starting to move. "Catch up after?"

"Yeah I'll come find you." Sam nodded.

"Hey Sam?" Jess said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry, mate." He said gruffly.

Sam nodded. "Thanks." He said quietly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lorelai was sat in the diner with Jack on her lap. "So they got there ok?" She asked Luke.

"Yeah, Jess rang when they arrived." He nodded.

"Did you know this Tim guy? Did you ever meet him?" She asked.

"I don't think so." Luke said. "I only ever saw Liz and Jess. Didn't really bother with anyone else." Luke said. "Wish I had though. It's nice that he had someone looking out for him."

"Yeah." Lorelai said. "Charlotte said how much he meant to Jess. Think he regrets not being able to thank him."

"I'm sure he knew." Luke said.

"That's what Charlotte said." She said. "So..." She said changing the subject. "April's coming for some of the summer right?" She asked.

"Yeah." Luke nodded, his face lighting up. "For the second half of her summer holidays. And I was thinking..."

"Go on."

"What if we think about expanding on the house? Adding onto it." He said cautiously.

"Oh." Lorelai said surprised.

"I'm just thinking, I know Jess and Charlotte have their place now but I'm sure there will be days they'll want to stay over but it's such a squeeze in Charlotte and Rory's room. And having April as well will make it even more crowded." He pointed out.

"True..." She said.

"I was thinking maybe we could buy a bigger house but then I thought you wouldn't want to move as that house means so much to you and the girls." He said.

Lorelai smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Yeah it does." She said softly.

"So I was thinking we could talk to Tom and add on to it. Maybe add another couple of rooms downstairs and...maybe another room upstairs..." He added hesitantly.

"Three new rooms? Why so many?" Lorelai said confused.

"Well, it would mean Charlotte and Jess could have their own room, April could have hers, Rory could stay in hers and...well...uh...if we ever have...well...another member of the family, we'll be prepared." Luke said gruffly.

Lorelai smiled softly. "You mean if we have kids..."

"Well...yeah." He said, glancing up at her. "I know you had that one scare and we haven't really talked about it since but...it would be nice, wouldn't it?" He said cautiously.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah...kids would be nice." She said softly.

"Ok good. So that's good." He said. "So should I give Tom a call? Get a quote?"

"Sure." She nodded. "Hey Luke?" She said as he turned to go.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She said softly.

"Yeah I love you too." He said gruffly.

* * *

Soon the week came to an end and Rory was packing up the last of her things to head home. The week had really dragged. She'd tried to focus on her last exam but she kept thinking about Tristan. She hadn't heard from him all week. She obviously hadn't meant what she said to come out the way it did. She had tried calling him but he wasn't answering. She sighed as she grabbed her suitcase and headed to the door just as there was a knock on it. She frowned, not expecting anyone seeing as Paris and Doyle had already left. She opened it and was surprised to see Tristan standing there.

"Oh good, I haven't missed you." He said clearly relieved.

"Uh no, I was just heading off now." Rory said. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry." Tristan said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you and stormed off."

"No, Tristan, I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't mean it that way..." Rory said. "You know I love you. I love you so much." She said.

"I know." He said quietly. "I love you too."

"I just...I don't want to be the reason you turn down this amazing opportunity." Rory said softly. "It's too good for you to say no. You deserve this so much, Tristan."

"I don't want us to break up." Tristan said gruffly.

Rory blinked back tears. "I don't want to either." She said quietly. "But...you'll be on the other side of America. You don't know how long you'll be there for. I have another year here and then you know I want to aim for the New York Times afterwards. Long distance relationships rarely work out..."

"Jess and Charlotte did it." Tristan pointed out.

"I know. But that was only for a bit. And they were much closer to each other than we will be." Rory said. She blinked back more tears. "I love you so much but...we don't know when we'll next see each other." She said tremulously.

Tristan felt his eyes moisten. "This is stupid. We both love each other. Why do we need to break up?"

"You know it's the right thing to do." Rory sniffed.

"Yeah I know." He finally conceded. "But it sucks."

"Yeah...it does." She said tremulously. "Hey, maybe sometime in the future our paths will cross and fate will bring us back together?" She said.

"Fate doesn't exist." Tristan said gruffly, smirking a little. "We'll keep in touch though, right?"

"Of course!" Rory enthused. "I want that. I want to know how you're doing." She said sincerely.

"Good." Tristan nodded.

"Go be amazing, Tristan." She said softly.

Tristan walked forward and brought her into a kiss. "One for the road." He said. "I'll always love you, you know that right?"

"I'll always love you too." Rory said softly. "Bye Tristan." She said tremulously.

"Bye Mary." He said gruffly.

* * *

Rory found herself outside Charlotte's apartment. She just wasn't ready to go home yet. She wasn't ready to face her mom's questions about where Tristan was. She knocked on the door which Charlotte opened. "Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey!" Charlotte said surprised. "I thought we were meeting you at mom's later?" She said.

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry. I just...I couldn't go home yet. I..uh..I..." Rory said blinking back tears.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Charlotte asked concerned.

"Tristan and I just broke up." Rory finally admitted.

"Oh Ror..." Charlotte said softly, bringing her into a hug. Rory finally let her emotions out and cried on her sister's shoulder. "I'm so sorry." Charlotte said.

 **So I hope you like it! Please please keep the reviews coming! :) I really love reading what you have to say so thank you! :)**


	84. Chapter 84

**So this will probably be the last chapter until New Year's Day as I'm going away for Christmas on Thursday and then will be away New Year's Eve as well! Sorry! Sorry it's a short one but I wanted to get one up before I left. But I hope you enjoy this chapter and stay with me until I get back! :) I do appreciate all your support so thank you! :)**

Chapter 81

"What happened?" Charlotte asked her sister as she led her over to their couch where Jess was sat with Jack.

"Did he do something?" Jess asked.

"No! No, it was nothing like that." Rory said. "It was a mutual thing. It just...It really sucks..."

"I thought things were good. I mean I know at the hospital, you were going through something, but it's you and Tristan. You love each other. Don't you?" Charlotte said.

"Of course we do. Tristan was...everything to me. I loved him so much. And he loved me." Rory said.

"So hang on, if you both love each other, why break up?" Jess said confused.

"Jess..." Charlotte said.

"What? I was just wondering." He shrugged.

"No he's right." Rory sniffed. "It sounds crazy but...Tristan got this amazing opportunity. The San Francisco Chronicle had read some of his articles and had obviously liked them because they got in touch and offered him a job."

"Wow!" Charlotte said surprised. "That's amazing!"

"I know. It really is. He deserves it so much and they offered to fund his last year of study as well." Rory said. "It was too good for him to say no. I didn't want to be the reason he did so...I let him go."

"Oh Ror..." Charlotte said softly. "I'm so sorry..."

Rory blinked back tears. "He deserves this. He really does."

"Why don't you try long distance?" Jess said.

"They rarely work. I know you two did it for a bit but we'll be on opposite sides of the country. It just...it would be really hard." Rory said quietly.

"Here." Jess said handing Jack over. "He normally cheers us up when we're sad."

Rory smiled slightly and cuddled her nephew. "Thanks." She said softly. "I'm sorry I just turned up. I just wasn't ready to face questions at home yet." She admitted.

"Its fine!" Charlotte smiled. "You're always welcome here. You know that!" She said.

"Thanks." Rory said softly.

"And who knows, maybe you and Tristan will find a way to make it work?" Charlotte suggested.

"I don't know but thanks." Rory said quietly. "You know, I think it will be good for me to be single for a bit. It's been a while. I mean I was with Dean and then Tristan, then I was with Logan, and then Tristan again. Maybe I just need some time by myself." She shrugged.

"Yeah...maybe..." Charlotte said exchanging a concerned look with Jess who just shrugged.

* * *

That evening, they were all sat in the living room of the Crap Shack. "I'm so happy to have you both back for the summer!" Lorelai grinned.

"You just want us to help you get Luke to give you coffee." Charlotte smirked.

"Well yeah! He can't say no to you two." Lorelai said.

"I am right here, you know." Luke said, sat next to Lorelai.

"Oh I know." Lorelai grinned at him.

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Tristan." Luke said to Rory, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, thanks." Rory said quietly.

"If you need me to beat him up for you, just let me know." Luke said gruffly.

Rory smiled slightly at that. "Thanks but that's not needed. It was a mutual thing."

"So what are we watching tonight?" Charlotte said changing the subject.

"I don't mind. You guys can choose." Lorelai said.

"Out of?" Rory asked knowingly, smirking slightly.

"The small pile by the tv." Lorelai grinned.

"Of course." Rory smirked.

"I'm going to get the snacks." Lorelai said getting up.

"I'll help." Charlotte smiled. "I'll put Jack down when I'm back." She told Jess who was bouncing Jack on his knee, knowing Jess couldn't do stairs easily.

"I can do it if you want." Luke offered getting up.

"Oh are you sure?" Charlotte asked.

"Sure I don't mind." He said going over to pick up Jack. "Come on little fella." He smiled softly at Jack.

"Thanks Luke!" Charlotte smiled before heading into the kitchen after Lorelai.

Jess glanced over at Rory who was going through the movies. "So..uh..I got a text from Tristan not that long ago..." He said cautiously.

"Oh you did?" Rory said, glancing over to him.

"Yeah, he..uh..he mentioned about you and him but he knew I probably already knew. He was..well he was checking that I was still friends with him..." Jess said hesitantly.

Rory smiled slightly. "Jess, you know you two can still be friends. Of course you can! You don't need my permission for that." She assured him.

"I know. I just thought...well I thought I'd check. I don't want you and me to be awkward." Jess said.

Rory smiled. "Thanks. But it's cool, Jess. You stayed friends when we broke up the last time. This isn't any difference." She said. "But thanks. For checking." She added.

Jess nodded. "Ok. Thanks." He said.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Charlotte and Lorelai was getting the snacks ready. Charlotte was arranging them onto a plate while Lorelai was microwaving some popcorn. Charlotte glanced over at her mom. "So..uh..I'm sort of back in touch with dad..." She said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I sort of realised that when he was at the hospital with you." Lorelai said. She looked over at her daughter. "I'm glad you are. You know I always wanted you both to have a good relationship with him." She smiled softly.

"I know." Charlotte said. "I just...with everything that happened with Tim...it got Jess asking questions about dad and he told me he didn't want me to have any regrets." She said. She sighed. "It does seem like he's changed. He's actually trying." She admitted. "He's rung me twice already this week."

"Well that's good." Lorelai smiled.

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Yeah." She said. She glanced over at her mom. "Luke knows he's always going to be the person I go to though, right?" She said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Lorelai asked confused.

"I mean, just because dad's back in my life, it doesn't mean I'm going to forget everything Luke's done for me." Charlotte said quietly.

"Oh hon, he wouldn't think that. He's happy you're back in touch with your dad. He's just happy you're happy." Lorelai assured her. "Plus I think he and your dad came to some sort of truce at the hospital anyway." She said.

"Ok. Good." Charlotte said relieved.

"So I put Jack down." A voice said from the doorway.

Charlotte whipped round to see Luke standing there and realised he must have heard everything. "Thanks." She said.

"He's good. Went down straight away." Luke said.

"Good. Thanks." Charlotte smiled.

"I'll take these through." Lorelai smiled picking up the snacks, giving Luke a quick peck before walking back through to the living room.

"I'm happy you're on good terms with your dad." Luke said gruffly. "I never wanted to replace him."

"I know you didn't. I just...you've been there for me through a lot." Charlotte said quietly. She glanced at him. "I want you to know I appreciate everything you've done for me. For us."

"I know." He assured her.

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "There's a reason Jack has your name as his middle name." She said softly.

"I'll always be here for you, no matter what." Luke said softly. "You know that."

"Yeah." She smiled. "I do." She said softly.

Luke nodded and then cleared his throat. "So don't tell me I actually have to eat all this crap?" He said gruffly.

"Don't be silly! We got you carrot sticks!" Charlotte grinned picking up the bowl with the carrots in.

"Oh aren't I privileged." He smirked.

Charlotte grinned. "Come on, I know how much you won't want to miss movie night!" She said walking back through to the living room.

"Oh no. That would be a disaster." Luke said dryly.

* * *

Later that night, Charlotte went into her and Rory's bedroom while Jess was in the bathroom and saw her sister sat on her bed, looking down at her phone. Charlotte went over and got up on the bed next to her. She saw Rory looking down at a picture of her and Tristan. "I'm sure he's missing you as much as you're missing him." Charlotte said softly.

Rory sighed and put her cell down next to her bed. "Do you think I'm stupid?" She asked.

"Stupid? No, why?" Charlotte frowned.

"Breaking up with Tristan just because he's moving away." Rory said, glancing at her sister. "Do you think I was stupid to throw it all away?"

Charlotte sighed. "I was surprised when you told me." She admitted. "But I do understand your reasoning. Both of you don't know where you'll be in the future. And as you said, long distance relationships are hard. You saw how much I struggled and Jess was only a few hours away." She said.

"So you think it was the right thing to do?" Rory asked quietly.

Charlotte looked at her sister. "I think it's your and Tristan's decision. No one else's opinion should really matter." She said softly.

"I know...but I'd like to know. I need to know I'm not crazy." She said quietly.

Charlotte laughed slightly. "You're not crazy." She assured her. "Look..." She said, putting her arm round her. "I understand why you let him go. I know it's hard but you and Tristan...well maybe in the future, things might work out." She said softly. "In the meantime, you've got me!" She grinned. "And we're going to make the most of this summer together. I missed out last year."

Rory smiled at that. "Yeah." She said softly. "I've missed hanging out with you."

"So have I." Charlotte smiled. "Night Ror." She said softly.

"Night." Rory smiled softly.

 **So I hope you like it! :) Please let me know what you think as I love reading your reviews! Thanks again for your support! :)**


	85. Chapter 85

**I hope you all had a good Christmas and enjoy New Year's Eve! :) I'm away tonight but have been working on this chapter for a few days so wanted to get it up for you! Hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 82

Charlotte and Jess were in bed the following morning. They had decided to take a month off work to let Jess recover from the crash but also so that they could spend some much needed quality time with their family and friends back in Stars Hollow. They were enjoying their lie in, Jack not having woken them up yet, when suddenly Charlotte's phone started ringing.

"Who's that?" Jess groaned.

"I don't know but I'm going to kill whoever it is!" Charlotte groaned, reaching over to pick up her cell. "This better be good!" She mumbled into it.

"Hey! Sorry, did I wake you up?" Rory chirped cheerfully.

"No. We just decided to get up at 7 in the morning on our first day of the summer." Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Really?" Rory said surprised.

"No!" Charlotte said. "What are you even doing up? It's your first day of the summer holidays!" She groaned.

"I've been making a plan for the summer and I've made a list of what to do today." Rory said cheerfully.

"A plan? A list? How long have you even been up?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Since 5. And I've decided today we could spend the day together! I've got a whole list what we can do. Can you be ready in an hour? I can maybe come earlier if as well?" Rory said quickly.

"Whoa! Rory, it's 7 in the morning! Why do we have to start so early?" Charlotte groaned.

"Because I've got a lot of things for us to do!" Rory said. "Please?"

Charlotte sighed. "Fine." She grumbled. "But you owe me big time." She said.

"Thanks! See you in a bit!" Rory said happily, hanging up.

"I have to get up. Rory's coming in an hour." Charlotte groaned.

"Why did you agree?" Jess said. "Why is she even up so early?"

"I don't know but I have an idea." She sighed. "She did the same thing when she broke up with Dean the first time."

"You think this is about Tristan?" Jess asked surprised.

"I think she wants to keep busy, yeah. And her way of doing that is getting up early and going out and doing things and this time, I'm the one she wants to go with." Charlotte sighed. "I feel like I should go. I know we agreed to have a relaxing day together but..."

"Go." Jess said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Rory needs you. Go. And don't worry about Jack, I'll watch him. You go have fun with Rory." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled and leaned over to peck him on the lips. "Thank you." She said softly.

"On one condition, tomorrow's just for us." Jess smirked.

"Agreed." Charlotte smiled. "I better get ready." She said getting up.

* * *

"So we've hit the bookstore, we've hit Luke's and we've seen Lane, what else is left on your list?" Charlotte said later that morning.

"I want to do something active, like a sport or something." Rory said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Charlotte laughed.

"I'm serious! It could be fun!" Rory said.

"A sport? Seriously?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows as they went into the Dragonfly.

"Maybe mom will have a suggestion?" Rory said walking up to the reception desk where their mom was arguing with Michel.

"Mom? Suggesting a sport really?" Charlotte said smirking slightly.

"Well you never know!" Rory said. "Hey mom!"

"Oh hey!" Lorelai smiled at their daughters. "What have you been up to?"

"We went to the bookstore, we hit Luke's and saw Lane. Now we want to go do something active? Do you have any suggestions about what sport we could try?" Rory said.

"You want to do something active. Not we." Charlotte said.

"You two seriously are going to try out a sport?" Lorelai smirked.

"It could be fun!" Rory defended.

"Racquetball is fun." Michel said.

"Racquetball? Since when do you play raquetball?" Lorelai laughed.

"That just shows how little you pay attention to my life." Michel said. "I play it once a week. Good for your fitness."

"Cool! Let's go play raquetball! Thanks Michel! Bye mom!" Rory grinned, already turning to leave.

"I guess we're going to play raquetball then..." Charlotte said dryly.

"Is she ok?" Lorelai asked concerned.

"I don't know." Charlotte sighed. "I'll see you later."

"Bye hon." Lorelai smiled, watching them leave. Suddenly she felt the urge to throw up. "Michel cover for me!" She said before rushing off to the toilet.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jess was hobbling around on his crutches, making himself breakfast whilst also checking on Jack who was in his play pen with some of his toys. He had just managed to get Jack to stop crying by distracting him with toys but he knew it wouldn't last long. He needed to eat while he could. He loved Jack and loved watching him while Charlotte was out but it was much harder trying to while also on crutches as he couldn't carry Jack and move around at the same time. Just then there was a knock on the door. He frowned, knowing it wouldn't be Charlotte, and went to open it. "Oh, hey." He said surprised as he saw who it was.

"Hi." Chris said just as Jack started crying again.

"Aw geez!" Jess groaned, hobbling over to his son on his crutches. "What's up little man? Did you wake up on the wrong side of your crib or something?" He said softly, picking him up. He glanced over at Chris. "Sorry. Charlotte's out." He said awkwardly.

"I can see that..." Chris said.

"Daddy..." A voice said next to Chris.

"Oh yeah, sorry..." Chris said. He glanced at Jess. "Do you mind? She's having a bit of a toilet emergency?"

That was the first time Jess noticed Gigi there. "Sure. Second door down the hallway." Jess nodded towards the hallway.

"Thanks." Chris said as Gigi ran off. He watched as Jess tried to comfort Jack. "So...Charlotte's out?" He asked.

"Yeah. Rory needed her." Jess said.

"Leaving you with this little one...It doesn't look like you're coping..." Chris said.

"I'm fine." Jess frowned.

"You look stressed to me." He commented.

"Ok what is this?" Jess frowned. "Sending me away wasn't enough, huh? You have to comment on how much of a crap dad I am as well?"

Chris did look abashed at that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He said.

"Whatever." Jess said gruffly.

"Do you want some help?" Chris offered.

"No." He said shortly. They stood in awkward silence for a moment as Jack continued crying again. Jess sighed and glanced at Chris. "Yeah..." He admitted. "He just won't settle today."

Chris went over and took Jack from him and starting bouncing him up and down. "Hey little guy, how about giving your dad a little break huh? He's doing his best here."

Jess was relieved when Jack quieted down after a minute. "Thanks." He said gruffly as they both sat down on the couch.

Chris glanced over at him. "Why didn't you just tell Charlotte you didn't think you would be able to cope? You're on crutches. I'm sure she'd understand." He said cautiously.

"Rory needed her." Jess shrugged. "And I can cope. It's just the moving around."

"Yeah I can remember that." Chris nodded.

Jess looked over at him surprised. "You've broken your leg?" He asked.

"Yeah, I crashed my porsche when I was younger. Lorelai was in the car too. Luckily she escaped without injuries. But I didn't. Not exactly my smartest moment!" Chris admitted.

"Huh." Jess said.

Just then Gigi came running back in. "Daddy, Charlotte's got lots of books in the baby's room!" She said.

Chris frowned. "I thought you were going to the toilet."

"I did! But I saw the books on the way back and went to look. They're so cool!" Gigi said.

"Gigi, you can't just go snooping in someone else's house." Chris said sternly, glancing at Jess. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Jess shrugged. "It's Charlotte's place as well and I'm sure she wouldn't mind you looking round. Tell you what, why don't you go back in there and you can pick out some of the books and take them home with you?" He smiled at Gigi.

"Really?" Gigi's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. Jack's too young to read them at the moment and we bought some for when he's about Gigi's age so they'll be sitting there until then anyway." Jess said. "Come on, why don't I come with you?" He smiled at Gigi, hoisting himself up. He glanced at Chris. "Are you ok to watch Jack for a minute?" He asked.

"Sure." Chris nodded. He watched Jess go with his daughter and smiled slightly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Rory were sat on the raquetball court.

"Regretting this suggestion now?" Charlotte asked smirking slightly.

"Maybe." Rory said letting herself smirk slightly as well. She sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been acting crazy today, haven't I?" She said.

"No." Charlotte said. She chuckled slightly when her sister raised her eyebrows at her. "Well maybe..." She admitted. "But the morning was actually fun." She said.

"I just...I've been trying to keep myself busy." Rory admitted.

"Yeah I kind of guessed that." Charlotte said.

"You did?"

"You did the exact same thing when you broke up with Dean the first time." Charlotte said softly.

"Oh. Yeah..." Rory said quietly. "I heard from Tristan..." She admitted.

"You did? When?"

"He had a night flight so he arrived in the early hours our time. He just texted me saying he arrived and I don't know...I just, I felt all sorts of things..." Rory admitted.

"Like what?" Charlotte asked.

"We agreed to stay in touch. Let each other what we're doing and how we're doing. But seeing that text, all my feelings for him were all there and I...I realised maybe I wouldn't be able to cope with being in touch with him when we're not together..." She said quietly.

"I can understand that." Charlotte said softly. "So you told him you wanted a clean break huh?"

"No. I didn't reply at all. I just freaked out." Rory admitted.

"Hence the list and the 7am phone call." Charlotte said.

"Yeah." Rory sighed. "I'm sorry I dragged you out so early. You've been great today and I know you just wanted to chill out with Jess and Jack today. I ruined your plans." She said quietly, blinking away some tears.

"No! You could never ruin my plans, Ror!" Charlotte assured her. "This summer was for us to spend time together as well. Jess understood that you needed me. Honestly."

"I'm lucky to have you." Rory said with a tremulous smile.

"Hey, what are sisters for eh?" Charlotte smiled. "So...are you going to talk Tristan?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm going to have to. But...not yet...I can't..." Rory said quietly.

Charlotte looked at her sister and felt sorry for her. She looked around and smiled. "Ok, so you wanted to play raquetball, so let's play!" She said, getting up.

"What?" Rory laughed.

"How hard can it be?" Charlotte grinned.

Rory raised her eyebrows but then grinned. "Ok!" She said getting up as well.

"Ok so we just hit it against the wall right?" Charlotte said, hitting the ball. However, the ball ricocheted off the wall right back at her and hit her in the face. "Ow!" She exclaimed. She glanced at Rory who was stifling a laugh. "Oh yeah, it's alright for you!" She said sarcastically but it was nice to see her sister smiling.

"Racquetball over?" Rory said.

"So over!" Charlotte smirked.

* * *

Back in Hartford, Chris carried Jack to the nursery and peeked in. They'd been quite a while so he was wondering what was keeping them. He was surprised to see Jess sat on the floor, reading to Gigi who was sat snuggled into him. He watched as Jess did different voices for the characters which made his daughter laugh. Chris could suddenly see what Charlotte saw in him and realised how badly he had misjudged him. He was about to leave but then they finished the books and Gigi had started asking questions.

"How did you do that?" Gigi asked pointing to Jess' leg.

"I was in an accident." Jess said.

"Does it hurt?" She asked.

"Not really. It's just annoying." He replied.

"Charlotte was crying when she was with us last time. Did it happen then?" Gigi asked.

"Yeah.." Jess said gruffly, not liking thinking about Charlotte upset.

"Do you love my sister?" She asked.

"What is this, 20 questions or something?" Jess smirked, making Gigi giggle.

But do you?" Gigi pressed.

Chris had to smile at his daughter's bluntness. That was one way she was just like Rory and Charlotte. She'd definitely got the journalistic approach. He saw Jess squirm a bit under the questioning but he answered resoundingly.

"Yes." He said.

"And she loves you?"

"Yes." He repeated.

"Will you love her forever?" Gigi asked.

"Of course." Jess said.

"What if she doesn't love you forever?" She asked.

Jess was thrown by that. "Well...I would be upset but it's her choice." He said carefully.

"I think she'll love you forever." Gigi smiled.

"You think?" Jess said smirking slightly, not being able to help growing fond of her. He could see why Rory and Charlotte were close to her.

"Yes!" Gigi grinned. "She was upset when you were hurt. She wouldn't have been if she didn't really love you."

"Huh." Jess said.

Chris decided it was time for them to make a move and also to relieve Jess. "Come on kiddo, time to go home." He smiled.

Jess glanced up and blushed slightly realising Chris had heard all of that.

"Do we have to?" Gigi whined.

"I'm afraid so. I've got to get your dinner on." He said.

"Can we visit again?" Gigi asked.

"If that's ok with Jess and Charlotte..." Chris said glancing at Jess.

"Sure." Jess smiled.

"Yay! Bye!" Gigi smiled going to leave.

"Hang on, what do you say to Jess?" Chris stopped her.

"Thanks for the books, Jess." Gigi smiled shyly.

"No problem, squirt. See you soon!" Jess smirked.

"Bye!" She smiled before disappearing into the living room.

"Here. I changed him because I suddenly smelt something. I hope that was ok." Chris said handing Jack to him.

"Oh yeah, thanks." Jess nodded.

"Thanks." Chris said.

"For what?" He asked confused.

"For being so good with Gigi. I know she can be a handful sometimes." Chris said smirking slightly.

"Oh." Jess said smirking slightly. "It's fine. She's a good kid."

Chris smiled. "Well...I'm glad we got to talk, Jess."

"Yeah...uh...me too. I'll let Charlotte know you stopped by!" He said.

"Thanks." Chris said. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. Threatening you and forcing you to leave the town...it was wrong of me and I'm sorry. I got you really wrong. I hope we can start afresh." He said.

Jess looked at him and could see the sincerity in his face and nodded. "Already forgotten." He said gruffly.

Chris let out a relieved breath. "Thanks." He said gratefully. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

Jess nodded. "See you around." He said. He then saw them out and then looked down at Jack. "So I guess it's just you and me again..." He smiled. "How about we give your mummy a call huh?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai burst into the diner. She saw Luke taking an order from a table and rushed over, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the stairs and up to his old apartment.

"Lorelai, what the...? I was in the middle of something!" Luke said totally confused. "We're really busy down there."

"I'm sorry. I just..." Lorelai said pacing around. "I'm sorry..."

"It's ok." Luke said seeing the state she was in and started getting concerned. "What's going on?"

"I just...I was going to do this myself but then I thought about you and April and how you wished you'd known from the start and...and then I felt bad and though what the hell was I doing and here I am!" She rambled quickly.

"Ok, you're going to have to fill in the gaps here for me." Luke said still confused.

"You know how I was throwing up yesterday?" Lorelai said quietly.

"Yeah. Because of Al's..." Luke said.

"We thought it was because of his food. But I've been throwing up today as well and I realised...I'm late..." She said quietly.

"Late?" Luke said still not catching on.

"Yeah. Late." Lorelai said. She took a deep breath and pulled something out from the plastic bag she was holding. "So I went to the pharmacy and bought this..." She said showing him.

"A...a pregnancy test?" Luke said stunned.

"I think I might be pregnant..." Lorelai smiled nervously at him.

"Uh...ok..." Luke said still stunned. "Have you taken it?"

"No. I was going to but then I thought about April so I came straight here. I wanted you with me when I did it." She said. "So...should I take it?"

"I think you should." Luke said quietly. He watched Lorelai go into the bathroom. He sat down at the table and put his head in his hands, trying to get his head round what had just happened. He remembered back when he had Charlotte in this same apartment, finding out she was pregnant. But now it was him waiting to see if he was going to be a dad again. With Lorelai. He realised how much he actually wanted it. Lorelai was the love of his life and he knew he wanted children with her. He let out a big breath. He didn't want to get his hopes up though. He knew Lorelai had a false alarm before. After what seemed like ages, he heard the bathroom door open and he looked up to see Lorelai standing there with the test, tears in her eyes. "Well?" He asked.

"You're going to be a dad." She smiled tremulously.

"You're pregnant?" Luke said not believing it.

"It's positive. Look." Lorelai said showing him the test. "Two lines means positive. We're having a baby." She said nervously.

Luke walked over and looked at the test. Sure enough, there were two lines.

"Are you happy?" Lorelai asked quietly.

"What?" Luke said looking up at her.

"Well I know we talked about maybe having kids but we haven't actually started trying..." Lorelai said quietly.

Luke could see how worried she was. "Hey.." He said softly. "I'm happy." He assured her.

"You are?" She checked.

Luke couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face then. He took Lorelai by surprise by hugging her and then spinning her around, causing her to laugh. "We're having a baby!" He grinned.

"Yeah!" Lorelai smiled. "Yeah..." She said suddenly realising how happy she was about it as well. "We're having a baby." She grinned. "We have to tell the girls! And Jess! And you need to tell April!" She said getting excited.

"I'll ask Caesar to lock up and then we can go together ok?" Luke smiled.

"Ok." Lorelai smiled. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." He smiled softly.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory were back at the Crap Shack. Charlotte headed back into the living room after talking to Jess. "So turns out my dad and Jess spent the day together and didn't end up killing each other!" She joked as she walked in. "Apparently dad wanted to see me and wanted to spend the day with me but Jess told him I was with you but he stayed anyway..." She smiled. She stopped when she saw Rory with tears running down her face. "Rory?" She said concerned.

"Tristan just called." She sniffed.

"Oh..." Charlotte said suddenly understanding. She went to sit down next to her.

"I texted him to tell him about the clean break. I know it's the coward's way of doing it but I couldn't face hearing his voice but then he rang...Turns out he agrees. He feels it would be for the best as well..." Rory blinked back tears. "I guess it just feels more real now..."

"Oh Ror, I'm sorry..." Charlotte said softly, pulling her into a hug.

"I think...I think I'm ready to wallow now..." Rory said tremulously.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai arrived back soon after, excited to share their news but they stopped as they went inside and saw the girls on the couch, Rory in tears.

"Rory?" Lorelai said concerned.

"She wants to wallow." Charlotte said. "I rang Joe's and ordered pizza but we're out of ice cream."

Luke and Lorelai glanced at each other and both knew it wasn't the right time to share their exciting news with them. "I'll go buy some ice cream." Luke smiled softly.

"Thanks hon." Lorelai smiled softly, giving him a kiss.

"I won't be long." He said before leaving.

Lorelai joined her daughters on the couch and she joined Charlotte in comforting Rory. She knew that evening she had to be there for Rory. Her and Luke's news could wait. Rory needed them.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please let me know what you think. Thank you for all your reviews and support, it really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	86. Chapter 86

**Thank you so much for all your support and reviews! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 83

Lorelai took her glass of juice from the kitchen and then peeked into the girls' bedroom. Charlotte had gone back to her place late last night but Rory was there. She smiled softly when she saw her daughter was fast asleep. She looked peaceful. Lorelai hoped that Rory would feel better now. They had a big wallowing night with pizza and ice cream and lots of movies. She quietly shut the door to the bedroom again and headed back upstairs. She smiled as she saw Luke still in bed upstairs. "Morning." She said softly.

"Morning." He smiled. "Juice?" He questioned seeing the glass she was holding.

"Yeah well...coffee's not good for the baby..." She said, smiling slightly.

"You're giving up coffee?" Luke asked surprised.

"Well maybe I'll have the odd cup but...yeah..." Lorelai shrugged. "Figured you'd want me to."

Luke smiled. "You check on Rory?" He asked.

"Yeah. She's still asleep." She nodded getting back in bed with him, sitting up against the headboard.

"Does she want me to go beat up Tristan for her?" Luke said.

Lorelai smiled. "Nah, I think she loves him too much for you to do that."

"You think she loves him? Then why did they break up?" Luke said surprised.

"She's letting him go..." Lorelai sighed. "I don't know. But I'm sure she will be ok."

"So, do you want to tell them today?" Luke asked.

"I want to. But I think we should tell them all together. April's coming in a couple of weeks. We can have a doctor's appointment before then to confirm everything. Then we can tell them all together. What do you think?" She asked.

Luke smiled. "I think that sounds sensible."

"Ok. Good." Lorelai smiled. "You working today?"

"Yeah but Caesar's opening so I'm going in a bit later."

"Cool."

* * *

Charlotte woke up to find Jess not in bed. She got out of bed and heard Jack crying in the kitchen. She walked towards the kitchen and stopped when she saw Jess hobbling around. She watched as he picked Jack up trying to stop the crying.

"Oh come on, little guy. Give your dad a break huh? He's trying here." He said.

Charlotte watched as he tried to hobble over to the stove where something was boiling over but saw him struggling. She watched him groan and put Jack down and go over to the stove. Just then, Jack started crying again.

"Oh come on!" Jess said, and in his rush to go back to him, he knocked over a glass that was on the counter and it smashed on the floor. "Crap!"

"Whoa!" Charlotte said rushing in.

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you." Jess said gruffly.

"It's ok. I was awake anyway. What's going on?" She asked.

"I smashed a glass, sorry." He said.

"It's ok. Here, let me do it." She said going over to pick it up.

"No, I can do it! I'm not completely useless!" He snapped.

Charlotte took a step back. "I didn't say you were." She said.

"You implied it. Everyone thinks it! Your dad was here for one minute and knew I couldn't cope!" Jess exclaimed.

"Ok, come sit." Charlotte said cleaning up the mess on the floor and disposing of the smashed glass. She picked up Jack as she led Jess over to the couch and bounced him on her knee as she sat down next to Jess. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I can't do anything with these damn crutches!" Jess exclaimed. "I can't cope! I try carrying Jack but I can't because I need both hands for these stupid things! I can't do a damn thing!"

"Why didn't you talk to me about this?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Because I didn't want you to think I couldn't cope! Because I didn't want you thinking I was a crap dad!" He exclaimed.

Charlotte frowned. "Jess, I would never think you were a crap dad." She said. "You're an amazing dad."

"No I'm not." He mumbled.

"Ok stop. This is crazy!" She exclaimed. "Jess, I get it. Mom broke her leg once and really struggled to get around. I should have realised you were feeling like this." She sighed. "I shouldn't have let you alone all day tomorrow. I should have realised you were struggling."

"No, I wanted you to go. Rory needed you." Jess said. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just so...annoying. I feel useless." He admitted.

"You're not useless." She said softly. "And you're not a crap dad." She said. "Look, Jack doesn't think that, do you?" She smiled down at Jack.

Jess smiled slightly as Jack smiled over at him. "I'm sorry I shouted, little guy." He said softly.

"I think he forgives you." Charlotte smiled softly.

Jess sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped."

"It's ok." She smiled. "Hey, you've got that check up today right?" She said.

"Yeah..."

"Well why don't we ask if you can get a wheelchair?" She suggested.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Well it might make it easier for you to move around." Charlotte said. "You'd feel like you can do more things."

Jess thought for a moment. "I guess..." He conceded.

"Well then we'll ask." She smiled.

"So...how was Rory?" He asked.

"Not great...but she will be ok." Charlotte said.

"Good." He said.

* * *

Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory were outside the Gilmore Mansion the following night for dinner.

"So Jess is doing better?" Rory asked.

"Yeah. I think he felt a bit embarrassed at first but he's actually liking being able to move around more easily. He was looking forward to watching Jack today. I wanted to bring him but he insisted. I think he wanted to prove he could cope." Charlotte said.

"We all know he can cope." Rory said.

"Yeah I know. But try telling him that." Charlotte said.

"Hey, punch me in the stomach." Lorelai interrupted them.

"What?"

"Real quick, jab, jab. Not too hard. Just enough to cause internal bleeding." She said.

"That sounds pretty hard." Rory said.

"Yeah, true, plus internal bleeding is internal which means it can't be proven. And unless my mother sees blood, there's no way she's going to let you take me to the hospital. You're right you're going to have to punch me in the face. Real quick, jab, jab!" Lorelai said.

"We are not going to punch you in the face." Charlotte smirked.

"Why? I'll heal. I'd much rather spend the night in the emergency room getting 8 to 10 stitches than go in there for dinner. Plus it will give me a groovy scar. I've always wanted a groovy scar!"

"Mom..." Rory rolled her eyes.

"It would be such a great conversation piece! Telling her my daughters drop kicked me because they're totally psycho!"

"Oh, so now we're drop kicking you?" Rory said.

"Give me some other options then since you didn't like the whole jab, jab thing."

"We haven't had dinner with them in three weeks. Suck it up. We're going in." Rory said.

"Hey you didn't make it through the last dinner, which means technically you've had four weeks, which means you owe me one." She pointed out.

"I stayed for cocktail hour!"

"That's the best part." Lorelai said.

"I can't help that it's at the beginning." Rory pointed out.

"Ok fine, then you stay through dessert and I'll leave early to go spend time with Tristan!" Lorelai said but then froze. "Oh hon, I'm so sorry. That was so..."

"Insensitive?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

Lorelai cringed. "Rory, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Rory said quietly.

"How are you doing anyway?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm ok." Rory said.

"Really?"

"Let's just go inside." Rory said, knocking on the door.

The door opened and a girl about 10 years old answered. "Hello." She smiled.

"Hi." Lorelai said surprised.

"Hello." Rory said.

"Hi!" Charlotte grinned.

"Come in. May I take your coats?" She asked.

"Uh, well, ok. Here you go. That's a pretty dress." Lorelai said.

"Thank you."

"You ok there?" Charlotte asked watching her struggle with all the coats.

"I'm fine. Right this way." She smiled.

"Weird." Lorelai said quietly.

"So weird." Rory agreed.

"It's a child, right?" Lorelai said.

"Pretty sure." Rory nodded.

"Maybe mom has run out of adults who will work for her." Charlotte smirked. "Hi Grandma, hi Grandpa." She said.

"Good evening, Charlotte. Lorelai, Rory." Richard smiled.

"Hi Grandma. Hi,Grandpa." Rory said.

"Mom, dad." Lorelai said.

"Well done, Charlotte. C.C. Guest couldn't have done it better herself." Emily smiled.

"What?" Charlotte said.

"Oh no, I meant this Charlotte." Emily said gesturing to the girl. Allow me to introduce Charlotte Courtwright. Charlotte, this is Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore and Charlotte Gilmore, my granddaughters and her mother." She said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Charlotte Courtwright smiled.

"Oh, a pleasure." Lorelai smiled.

"Hi again." Rory smiled.

"Cool name!" Charlotte grinned.

* * *

"A cotillion?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, Grandma's teaching some girls how to act for their cotillion. One of them missed one session so she was the second maid for the evening."

"Is that even legal?" Jess smirked.

"No idea, but she was sweet! She was really looking forward to it. And her name was Charlotte."

"Great name!" Jess chuckled.

"I agree!" Charlotte grinned.

"So did you and Rory ever have one of these cotillion things?" He asked.

"Nope. Mom got out of it so got us out of it as well." She said.

"Your mom didn't have one?"

"Nope and she was making fun of it all night." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "She was surprised that Charlotte was actually looking forward to it. Anyway, how was your evening?"

"Good." He nodded. "Everything was fine."

"Good." She smiled. "So Jack's down for the night?"

"Yep."

"Good. So it's just us then?"

"Yep."

"Shall we retire to bed?" She smirked.

"Well...we can't exactly do...you know..." Jess said.

"I don't care about that." Charlotte frowned. "I just want to be with you. What do you say?"

Jess smiled. "I say, let's retire to bed."

* * *

The following week, Emily entered the inn with the cotillion girls in tow. Lorelai looked up from her computer where she was working.

"Good afternoon, Lorelai." Emily said.

"Oh my goodness." Michel gushed over the girls.

"Is the library ready for us?" Emily said.

"Yes, the tables are set and the tea is brewed and I've hired some extra poor people for the girls to look down on." Lorelai joked, causing the girls to giggle.

"She's the one I told you about, a regular Imogene Coca." Charlotte giggled.

"Oh my god, I love them. They are like Madame Alexander dolls come to life." Michel gushed.

"Hey mom!" Charlotte smiled, entering the inn. "Ooh the cotillion girls, I forgot they were coming in today!" She grinned. "Hey Charlotte!" She waved over at the girl.

"Hi!" Charlotte smiled.

"Alright ladies, chins up, tummies in and glide." Emily said. One of the girls started doing the chicken walk but stopped when Emily saw her.

"They look like they're having fun." Charlotte commented.

"They probably think they are." Lorelai said but she couldn't help but smile as one of the girls messed around. She had to admit they did look happy.

"Caroline, we do not grab or grope our dinner partners." Emily said sternly.

"Sorry, Mrs. Gilmore." Caroline said.

"Always maintain proper spacing and distance." She continued.

"Urgh, it's all coming back to me. Proper spacing and distance. Other kids were hugged and kissed. I was taught to maintain proper spacing and distance." Lorelai groaned.

"In which case, the utensil rule still applies. No utensil, once used, may ever touch the table again. Imagine leaving a ring of raspberry preserves on a set of fine linens. Granted, these linens aren't the best. But at the cotillion on Saturday, everything will be of the highest quality. Alright ladies, choose your first sandwich." Emily smiled.

"Take me!" Michel suddenly said to Lorelai.

"Oh, Michel!" Lorelai said.

"Take me to the cotillion!" He begged.

"Oh..uh..."

"I have to be there. I want to go back and do it right." He said.

"No, forget it." Lorelai laughed.

"I insist. You must take me. You have no choice." He said.

"I have no choice? Do you know me? I'm not going to my mother's cotillion." She said.

"You owe me."

"What? I do not."

"Oh yes you do. Last November, when you were going out of town and nervous about boarding Paul Anka for the first time you forced me, against my better judgment, to have Paul Anka over to my home for the day so he could acclimate to other dogs. Well, not only did he traumatise my poor chows, but somehow he managed to get into my closet, the door of which was firmly closed..." Michel said.

"I do remember him taking Paul Anka." Charlotte nodded.

"Whose side are you on?" Lorelai said.

"And proceeded to poop in my Prada loafers." Michel said.

"Well, he knows good quality." Lorelai said.

"When I returned your foul creature and told you about what happened, you apologised profusely and then wrote an I.O.U. On several little post-its, thinking it was all so clever." Michel said.

"Gosh, I don't remember that." Lorelai said.

"I thought as much." Michel said leaving.

"I remember that." Charlotte said.

"Seriously? You should be on my side!" Lorelai said.

Charlotte grinned. "Come on, mom. It could be fun." She said.

"Ha no." Lorelai laughed. "Cotillions aren't fun, trust me." She said. "They're stuffy, they're snobby and these girls have just been brainwashed about the fact that they think they will enjoy it."

"Or...they're actually looking forward to getting together, dancing and eating." Charlotte pointed out.

"On the seat of your chair. Do not leave it carelessly strewn about the table. Caroline? Caroline!" Emily exclaimed as Caroline stuffed food into her mouth causing the other girls to laugh.

"Oh yeah, they look like they're really bored." Charlotte said.

Just then Michel returned and stuck lots of post its on Lorelai's arm. "I...O...U...one...big...favour." He said.

"Can't prove I wrote that." Lorelai said.

Michel chuckled and put the last post it on her arm. "Lorelai Gilmore." He said.

"Aw come on! I'll buy you a car." She said.

"No."

"A house?"

"Pick me up at 7:00." He smiled triumphantly.

"Michel!" She groaned.

"And wear your hair like you had it the other day." He said, before walking away.

Lorelai groaned and turned to Charlotte. "Thanks for your support." She said.

"You're welcome!" She grinned. "Oh come on, mom. It might surprise you. I'll even come with you."

"You want to come?" Lorelai frowned. "Why?"

"I think it could be fun." Charlotte shrugged.

"You really want to come?" She asked surprised.

"Why not?" She shrugged. If it is as awful as you say it will be, at least there will be cake." She grinned. "I have to go. See ya!" She smiled, walking off.

"Yeah..uh..see you." Lorelai said.

* * *

Michel and Lorelai were walking down a hall towards the cotillion room. Charlotte and Rory were behind them.

"Remind me again how you persuaded me to come to this thing?" Rory said.

"It'll be fun!" Charlotte said.

"Define fun." Rory said.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, I know you said you were doing ok. But I know you. You're still down about Tristan. I just wanted to cheer you up." She said sincerely.

Rory sighed and gave her a small smile. "Yeah I know. Thanks." She said quietly.

"Plus we get to watch mom endure a cotillion with Michel all night!" Charlotte grinned.

"Ok that does sound a little fun." Rory smirked.

"It's like you don't even care." Michel said to Lorelai.

"I care about you, just not this." Lorelai said.

"After all the trouble I went through picking out the perfect flower for you."

"It's kinda big don't you think, it's like wearing a tree on my arm." Lorelai said.

"It is an orchid." Michel said.

"It's scratchy."

"Could have got me something, a simple boutonniere? But no. I'm so humiliated!"

"Hey I have an idea, why don't we go back to the flower store and I'll get you something? It will take two seconds." Lorelai said.

"Forget it. We're late enough as it is." Michel said gasping as she saw the room. "Yes I can die now." He said.

"Me too. Look at that girl. Poor thing." Lorelai said, looking at Caroline.

"Oh, why did someone force her to wear those exercise shoes?" Michel said.

"She'd probably rather be home, in jeans, climbing a tree." Lorelai said.

"She looks perfectly happy to me." Charlotte commented.

"Yeah mom, they do actually look like they're enjoying themselves." Rory said, slightly surprised.

"You know what I see when I look at this room?" Michel said.

"A bunch of kids whose outfits cost more than my car?" Lorelai said.

"No, these are not kids. They are perfect, tiny adults. We are standing amongst the next generation of movers and shakers. The future president of the united states may be in this room with us tonight." He smiled.

"You're very odd." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, Rory, Charlotte, you're here." Emily said surprised.

"We are." Lorelai said.

"Hello Emily. Oh, Emily, may I just say that what you have created here tonight is nothing short of perfection? This, this is a kind of nirvana on earth." Michel gushed.

"Thank you, Michel. It's very kind of you to say. I'm sorry. What on earth are those musicians playing?" Emily said.

"It sounds lovely." Michel said.

"Are those violinists on speed? Excuse me." Emily said walking away.

"Hey, I'm going to get some punch. You want some?" Lorelai asked Michel.

"Oh no, thank you very much. I'm much too excited for punch. My throat closes off when I'm excited, so swallowing punch would be very difficult right now." He said.

"Ok." Lorelai laughed, heading to the drinks counter.

"Lorelai!" Charlotte smiled coming up to her.

"Oh, Charlotte, hi!" Lorelai smiled.

"I'm having the most wonderful time." Charlotte gushed.

"Ah..."

"Grandmother, grandfather, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai, these are my grandparents, Beverly and Arthur Courtwright." She smiled.

"Ah, the famous Lorelai." Arthur smiled.

"Famous? I have to catch up on my us weeklies." Lorelai joked.

"Charlotte told us you were a card." He laughed.

"She also told us that you were a delightful dining companion, like Noel Coward and Slim Keith rolled into one." Beverly smiled.

"Oh, well, she's delightful too, like Shirley Temple and mother Teresa and someone with very good table manners rolled into one." Lorelai smiled kindly at the girl.

"It's starting. The dancing is starting!" Charlotte said excitedly.

"We should get the camera." Arthur said.

"Will you excuse us?" Beverly said.

"Yeah, of course." Lorelai smiled. "Have fun."

"Lorelai, did I tell you? Margot, Caroline, and I are doing a hip-hop dance and it's going to be so funny. We rehearsed it in the bathroom. The whole thing ends up with us somersaulting towards the band." Charlotte said excitedly.

"Wow! That's really great." Lorelai said surprised.

"Are you going to come dance?" She asked.

"Oh no. It's just for the kids." Lorelai said.

"Oh, come on. Everybody is dancing."

"Pardon me. Would you like to dance, Charlotte?" A boy came up to Charlotte.

"I would be delighted, Toby." Charlotte smiled.

Lorelai smiled as she watched them go off to the dance floor. She then saw Caroline dancing with another boy. Caroline spotted her and waved. Lorelai smiled and waved back.

"They really seem to be enjoying themselves." Charlotte said coming up to her.

"They actually do. I was with you on this, mom. From what you said about cotillions, I thought they'd be awful but this actually looks fun." Rory said.

"Yeah..uh...they really do look like they're having fun, don't they?" Lorelai admitted, looking around.

"Want to dance?" Michel asked coming up to them.

"Me? No. Are you serious?" Lorelai laughed.

"I never joke about dancing."

"No, I'll pass." She said.

"You cannot pass. This is still my night and I'd like to dance with you. Besides, Charlotte and your daughters insisted that I get you out on the dance floor, so that it's four against one, you lose. Now, let's go." Michel said holding his hand out.

"You insisted he did?" Lorelai glared at her daughters.

"Enjoy!" Charlotte grinned.

"Come on." Michel smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

Charlotte smiled as she watched their mom actually look like she's enjoying. She laughed as Michel started spinning her around.

"I see you're having a terrible time." Emily commented passing Lorelai and Michel.

"The worst." Lorelai grinned.

Rory smirked at Charlotte. "You totally planned this, didn't you?" She said.

"Oh yeah!" Charlotte grinned.

"Why?" Rory laughed.

Charlotte shrugged. "Mom's always complaining about the things Grandma and Grandpa made her do. I guess I just wanted her to see that everything wasn't that bad. I saw the girls in the inn and they were happy."

Rory smiled. "Mom is enjoying herself. It's nice to see." She said. "I don't think I've ever seen her have fun at something Grandma's put on before."

"Yeah. It's nice." Charlotte smiled. She glanced at her sister. "It's nice seeing you smile again." She said softly.

Rory smiled. "Well...I've actually enjoyed myself today, so thanks." She said softly.

Charlotte smiled. "Ok, come on!" She said standing up.

"What?" Rory laughed.

"Well we're the only ones not dancing. Let's show them how it's done!" She grinned. She held out her hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"Well I don't know! This all seems so sudden!" Rory smirked, playing along. "Do you have a trust fund?"

"Nope!" Charlotte grinned.

Rory laughed and took her sister's hand. "Let's show them how it's done." She grinned.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming! i really do appreciate all your comments and support, so thank you! :)**


	87. Chapter 87

**Thank you for your support so far! I seriously can't believe how far I've gotten with this story and your support has really kept me going so thank you! :) I've still got so many ideas for this story so I hope you keep with me. :)**

Chapter 84

"Wow..." Luke said quietly as their baby's heartbeat filled the room at the doctor's office.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said softly. "Makes it all real, doesn't it?" She said.

"Yeah." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled at him. "We're officially having a baby."

Luke smiled. "Looks like it."

"So you're about 8 weeks." The doctor smiled at Lorelai. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Is it your first?" She asked.

"Not mine, no." Lorelai said. "But ours together, yeah."

"Ah ok. Well I'll schedule you in for another appointment for 12 weeks." The doctor told them. "If you have any problems before then, feel free to call."

"Thanks doctor." Lorelai smiled, getting up.

"Yeah thanks." Luke said.

"See you again in about a month." The doctor smiled.

"So we tell everyone tonight after April comes?" Lorelai said as they left.

"Yeah." Luke smiled.

* * *

"DAD!"

Luke grinned as he saw his daughter running towards him in arrivals at the airport. "April, hey!" He said giving her a hug.

"Hi!" She grinned. "Lorelai's not here?" She asked looking round.

"No, she had some stuff to do at the inn but she said she'll meet us at the diner for lunch." Luke said.

"Cool!" April said.

Luke took his daughter's bag and they headed out to his truck and started driving back to Stars Hollow. "So how was New Mexico?" He asked.

"It was alright. There's not much to do there though." April shrugged.

"And your Grandma?" He asked.

April sighed. "I don't think she's doing so well. She's got her back surgery on Monday and mom said her recovery will be quite slow." She said. "But she's old. Surgery's risky at that age, isn't it?" She glanced at him.

Luke glanced at her. "Hey, she'll be just fine, don't worry." He said softly.

"Yeah?" April said quietly looking up at him.

"Yeah." He smiled softly at her. "Lots of people have these operations these days. Don't worry too much about it. And your mom will be with her."

April gave him a small smile. "Yeah, you're right." She said. "So how's everyone doing? How's Jess?" She asked.

"He's getting by." Luke nodded. "Everyone's good." He said, smiling as he thought about the baby. "In fact, there's so news to share but not until tonight when we're all together." He said.

"What?"

"Nope. You'll find out tonight."

"You can't just say that and expect me not to ask questions!" April exclaimed.

Luke smirked. "Sorry."

"Spoilsport." April said.

Luke smirked as he glanced at her. He then frowned as he spotted something. "Have you pierced your ears?" He asked.

* * *

"Hey April!" Charlotte smiled as she and Jess entered the diner, Charlotte carrying Jack.

"Charlotte, Jess!" April smiled, jumping up from her stool at the counter and going to hug them. "Have you named your wheelchair yet?" She asked Jess.

Jess glared at Charlotte. "You've corrupted her." He said.

"Hey, what can I say? She's one of us now!" Charlotte grinned.

"You guys want anything to eat?" Luke smirked.

"Oh no thanks! We just wanted to stop by to say hello to April. We're going to go see Lane." Charlotte said.

"Ok. Oh, by the way, after I close up, make sure you two are at ours! Your mom and I have some news we want to share with you." Luke said.

"Ok!" Charlotte said.

"Oh and if you see Rory, let her know too." He said.

"Will do." She smiled. "We'll see you later, April."

"See you later!" April smiled.

* * *

Rory was reading one of the books she had just bought from the bookstore so she wasn't looking where she was going when she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she looked up to see two girls about her age standing there.

"It's ok!" One of them smiled.

"Yeah we weren't exactly looking where we were going anyway." The other smiled.

"I'm Lucy by the way." The first girl smiled.

"I'm Olivia." The other girl said.

"Rory." Rory smiled. She spotted their map. "You need some directions?" She asked.

"Do you live here?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah I do."

"Do you know a Charlotte Gilmore by any chance?" Olivia asked.

Rory let out a laugh. "Uh..yeah I do as a matter of fact. I'm her sister." She said.

"No way!" Lucy laughed.

"Yes way." Rory laughed.

"Oh yeah, she mentioned she had a sister." Olivia smiled. "I do art at Yale. I was in Charlotte's class. She mentioned living here and I thought I'd come and catch up with her. We're on our way to an art exhibition in Hartford anyway as Olivia's got something in it so thought it would be good timing."

"Oh right!" Rory said. "An art exhibition? That's cool. You know, I could do with a piece for the paper. I go to Yale too." She said. "I've been struggling about what to write about for my holiday piece."

"You write for the paper?" Lucy asked. "That's so cool!"

"I'd love to write a piece about your art if you wouldn't mind? If you wouldn't mind me tagging along?" Rory asked Olivia.

"Not at all!" Olivia smiled. "The more the merrier!"

"Are you into art too? I'm not sure if I could cope with both of you." Lucy joked.

Rory laughed. "Not as much as Charlotte but it's cool."

"Well that'll do for me!" Lucy grinned. "So you write for the paper? We have an obsession with someone who writes for the paper. Do you know Paris Geller?"

Rory smirked. "Just a bit." She said.

"No way!" Lucy said excitedly.

"Ooh and what about that hot guy who writes for it? Or used to? Not sure if he still does. Tristan someone?" Olivia said.

"Oh yeah, he's hot!" Lucy nodded.

"Oh..uh..Tristan? Yeah..I..uh..know him." Rory said quietly.

"Sorry, did we step into something here?" Lucy said.

"No.." Rory sighed. "He's just...Tristan's my...ex." She admitted.

"Oh..crap! Rory, I'm so sorry!" Lucy said apologetically.

"No, you weren't to know." Rory assured her. "It just...we broke up two weeks ago so it's still a bit fresh." She said. "Oh look, here's Charlotte..." She said gesturing to where Charlotte and Jess were coming towards them, glad to be able to change the subject.

"Charlotte Gilmore as I live and breathe!" Olivia grinned.

"Liv?" Charlotte said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to come and say hi!" She smiled. "This is my friend, Lucy."

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Lucy smiled. "Yeah, Olivia wanted to come say hi and we bumped into your sister. Coincidence or what?"

"It was like fate!" Olivia grinned.

"Fate indeed!" Charlotte laughed. "This is Jess by the way." She introduced them.

"Ah so this is the guy you ran off to be with leaving me behind at Yale." Olivia teased.

"Guilty as charged." Jess smirked.

"And who's this little guy?" Olivia asked.

"Our son." Charlotte smiled. "Jack."

"Well, well, well, you have been busy!" Olivia laughed.

"So what brings you here?" Charlotte asked.

"Wanted to come say hi and see the town. You raved about this place. Plus we're on the way to Hartford anyway." Olivia said.

"Cool!" She smiled.

"Do you guys want to tag along with us?" Olivia offered.

Charlotte was about to answer when she saw Rory look a bit dejected. She then noticed her sister engage in a conversation with Lucy and she could see they got on. "Thanks but we've got to get this one back for a nap." Charlotte smiled. "You guys all have fun though!"

"Ok! Call me every so often ok? Let me know what you're up to." Olivia smiled.

"I will. It was good to see you."

"You too!"

Charlotte smiled as she watched them walk off with Rory. She smiled as she saw Rory laughing at something Lucy said and then they all shared a joke. "Oh wait, Ror?" She called suddenly remembering. "Luke said to be back for dinner! Him and mom have some news apparently!"

"Ok!" She called back.

"You're planning something.." Jess said.

"What? No." Charlotte said.

"That's your planning face." Jess smirked.

Charlotte sighed. "I just think Rory could do with some friends right now, that's all." She said. "Liv's really nice and Rory seemed to be getting on with Lucy as well."

"Take her mind off Tristan you mean?" Jess said.

"Yeah." She said.

Jess nodded. "Ok...so after we go to hear whatever news Luke and your mom has, I'm taking you out on a date." He said.

"You are?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Yep. Already cleared it with mom and Luke. They're happy to babysit." He said.

"Cool!" She smiled. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Jess said.

"Surprise huh?" She smirked.

"Yep!" He smirked. "However, you're going to have to drive because I can't."

"I can deal with that." Charlotte laughed.

* * *

"So did you have a nice time?" Charlotte asked Rory that evening when she returned from the art exhibition.

"Yeah, it was fun. Olivia and Lucy are great." Rory smiled. "We've agreed to meet up once we're back at Yale."

"Cool!" Charlotte smiled.

"So what's the news?" Jess asked as Lorelai and Luke walked in.

"Yeah, why the secrecy?" Charlotte said.

"Well..uh..do you guys want to sit down?" Lorelai said nervously.

"Ok..." Rory said as they all sat down.

"Is everything ok?" April asked worried.

"What do you mean?" Luke frowned.

"Well..you say you have news...You're not sick or something are you?" April asked.

"What? No! No, it's nothing like that." Lorelai assured her.

"So what is it then?" Charlotte asked.

Lorelai glanced at Luke who gave her a supportive smile. "Well...we didn't want to tell you until we had it confirmed but...I..uh..I'm pregnant." She smiled nervously.

"You're pregnant?" Rory said surprised.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said nervously.

"Oh my god, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Charlotte squealed running forward to hug their mom.

"Congratulations mom!" Rory smiled giving her a hug too.

"So you're happy about it then?" Lorelai said relieved.

"Happy? We're going to get another sister or brother!" Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah this is so great!" April grinned, going to hug Luke. "Congratulations dad!"

"Thanks kid." Luke smiled.

"Yeah congratulations." Jess smiled. "Charlotte, we better get going if we want to make our date." He said.

"Oh right, yeah!" Charlotte said getting up. "Are you sure you're ok babysitting?" She asked her mom.

"Yeah we're fine! Go, have fun!" Lorelai smiled. "It's been a while since you two have gone out for a date. Plus it gives me some time with my grandson."

"Ok, well thanks!" Charlotte smiled. "Bye then, we won't be late! Congratulations again!" She smiled giving her a hug. "This kid is going to be one lucky kid." She smiled, glancing at Luke as well.

"Thanks hon." Lorelai said softly.

"Yeah, thanks." Luke smiled.

As Charlotte and Jess left, Rory's cell vibrated. She glanced over at her phone and frowned when she realised she'd had three missed calls from Tristan. He must have rung when she was out with Lucy and Olivia. What was he calling her for? They had both agreed to have a clean break however hard it was. Suddenly it started ringing again. "I'll..uh..I'll just be a minute." She told everyone as she took her cell to her room. She shut her bedroom door and took a deep breath before answering. "Hello?" She said.

 **So I hope you liked it! Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger but I have to have you wanting more! ;) Please keep your reviews coming as I love reading what you all think! :)**


	88. Chapter 88

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 85

"So funny question, Luke knows we've taken his truck right?" Charlotte said. "And that I'm driving?"

"Yep. He's cool with it." Jess nodded.

"Cool with it? Luke?" Charlotte smirked.

Jess chuckled. "Well to be fair, I didn't give him much of a choice." He smirked. "Plus I offered to do some shifts at the diner once my leg's healed."

Charlotte laughed. "So...you know, you can admit it if we're lost? I won't lose any respect for you." She teased.

"We're not lost." Jess said.

"I've been driving for ages!" Charlotte said.

"We're nearly there." Jess said.

"Ok, well then, are you planning to murder me? Because people will notice I'm gone. They'll look for me. Paul Anka saw me leave with you. He'll bark. He will bark and he'll sell you down the river. Plus mom and Rory may be worried too." She grinned.

"Turn in here." Jess smirked.

Charlotte frowned as they pulled up outside an old barn and parked the truck where Jess told her to. "Are we asking for directions?"

"Nope. We're here." Jess said.

"Here, where? Are we at Woodstock? I think we're late."

"Shh! Just get out." Jess smirked.

"Ok, are you actually going to murder me?" Charlotte joked, getting out.

Jess hobbled to the back. "Help me up." He said.

"In the back of the truck?" Charlotte said confused.

"Yeah. And then come up too." Jess said.

"Uh..ok.." Charlotte said confused, helping Jess up. She then followed him. She watched as Jess propped up two pillows and sat up against them. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Just come join me." He said.

"Ok..." Charlotte said, settling down next to him.

Jess then grabbed some blankets and put them over them.

"Ok, so this is cosy but what's actually happening?" Charlotte said.

"Just wait." Jess smirked.

"For what?" A projector then suddenly started up and thematic music started playing. "What the..." Charlotte said stunned as Casablanca started playing. "I love this movie!"

"I know." Jess said. "Open the basket."

"How did I not see you put all this stuff in here?" Charlotte said, opening the basket. "Oooh popcorn!" She grinned. "You are the perfect guy."

Jess smirked and pulled Charlotte closer to him. "I wanted to treat you." He said.

Charlotte smiled and leant her head on his shoulder. "This is really nice. It's been ages since we've done this."

"I know." Jess said. "You've been so great lately. I know I haven't actually been able to do as much with Jack recently. I wanted to show you I appreciated you."

Charlotte smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss. "I love you." She said softly.

"Back at you." He smiled.

* * *

"Oh...hey..." Tristan's voice said on the other end of the line.

Rory frowned. "You seemed surprised. You know you rang me right? And I've had missed calls from you..." She said.

"I know. I just thought that I would...uh...get your voicemail again. I was going to apologise for ringing you..." He sighed.

"Ok..." Rory said completely confused.

"I just...I needed someone to talk to. Someone who really knew me. But this was unfair of me. I'm sorry. I know what we agreed..." He said.

"Is everything ok?" Rory asked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I..uh..I'm sorry. I'll just go." He said.

"Tristan wait! You obviously called for a reason. What's going on?" Rory asked.

Tristan sighed. "My Grandpa died this morning." He said quietly.

"Oh my god, Tristan, I'm so sorry!" Rory said softly. "I know how close you two were."

"Yeah.." He said quietly. He sighed. "I'm sorry I called. I know we agreed not to but you're the only person who really knew how much he meant to me. I couldn't talk to my parents because well you know...and I did try calling Paris but couldn't get through..."

"Yeah..uh..I think she's gone away with Doyle or something." Rory said.

"That'll be why then." Tristan said.

"I'm really sorry." Rory said softly.

"Thanks." He said. "The funeral's in a couple of weeks so I'm going to come back to Hartford for it." He told her.

"You'll be back in town?" Rory asked.

"Only for the night." He said.

"Would you..uh..would you like me to go to the funeral with you?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh no, you don't need to." Tristan said quickly. "I just...this is enough. You talking to me. I needed this." He admitted.

"Oh..ok." Rory said quietly.

"Thanks though." He said softly. "But I think us seeing each other would just..."

"Yeah I know." She sighed.

"I'm really sorry I called. But I just...I needed to talk to you." Tristan said.

"It's ok." Rory said softly. "I'm really sorry. I..uh..I hope the funeral's ok."

"Thanks." Tristan said.

"Bye Tristan." Rory said softly.

"Bye Rory." He said.

Rory hung up and let out a breath. She slowly walked back into the living room.

"Everything ok?" Lorelai asked looking up.

"Yeah..." She said.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked.

"Oh..uh..Tristan." Rory admitted.

"Tristan?" Lorelai said surprised. "But I thought..."

"I know but his grandpa died this morning." Rory said. "I guess he just needed to talk to someone who knew him. You remember what I told you about his relationship with his parents?"

"Yeah I remember." Lorelai said. "Poor Tristan. You said he was close to his grandpa right? This must have hit him hard."

"Yeah it did." Rory said quietly. "He wouldn't stop apologising for calling me though. It was sad..."

"Aw hon..well I'm sure he appreciated you talking to him." Lorelai said softly.

"We're going to watch a movie. Want to join us?" Luke smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that would be nice." She said softly, going to sit next to April. "What are we watching?"

* * *

"Ooh, it's so good! I really do love this movie!" Charlotte smiled as the end credits started rolling.

"I know you do." Jess smiled.

"Admit it, you love it too!" She said.

"It's alright." He said.

"Admit it!" She laughed.

"Alright!" Jess laughed. "It's a good movie. Happy now?"

"So happy!" She grinned. She snuggled up to him. "So happy." She repeated softly. "So when are mom and Luke expecting us back?"

"I told them we might be quite late. So...they actually offered to put Jack down for the night..." He said.

"They did?" She smiled.

"Yep." He said. "So...fancy going to a diner we know quite well and getting some food?"

"You'll cook for me?" Charlotte grinned.

"If you want." He said.

"I'd like that." She smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss.

"Good." Jess smiled. "Ok, help me out of here." He said.

* * *

"I do love this movie." Lorelai smiled as the end credits of Casablanca rolled on the tv.

"Louis, I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship." Rory smiled softly.

"I can't believe I've never seen that before." April said.

"Welcome to our family." Lorelai grinned.

"Yeah, be prepared to watch that movie several other times!" Rory joked.

"Ok, I'm going to put Jack down and then do you all fancy another movie?" Lorelai smiled, getting up.

"Sure." April smiled.

"Need any help?" Luke asked.

"Nah I'm good." She smiled.

"You know, uh, I'm pretty tired so I think I'm going to head to bed. Feel free to watch another movie though." Rory said getting up.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah..I..uh...I'm just tired." She said.

"Are you ok?" Lorelai asked softly.

"Yeah. I just...I'll see you in the morning." Rory said quietly. "Enjoy your next movie." She smiled, heading to her room.

* * *

"Two cheeseburgers and chilli fries to share." Jess smiled, putting the plates on the table in the diner.

"Yum!" Charlotte grinned. "Thanks!"

Jess smiled and sat down next to her. "I hope you appreciate it. I stood over a hot oven to do this." He smirked.

"Well I do appreciate it." Charlotte smirked. "I love that I'm married to someone who can cook."

"Yeah because that's why you married me." He said dryly.

"Sort of." She grinned. "I'm just kidding."

"Well eat up." He smiled, tucking into the food.

Charlotte smiled and started eating. She glanced up. "So how are you doing? With everything." She asked.

"I'm better." He nodded.

"Really?"

Jess nodded. "It actually feels like it's getting better. It's easier to get around now."

"That's good." She smiled. "You'll be able to get the cast off soon. Bet you can't wait for that."

"Oh you're telling me!" He smirked. "The sooner, the better."

"Jess..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for tonight. It's been really nice." She smiled softly.

"You're welcome." He smiled softly. "Now eat up." He smirked.

* * *

Rory opened her laptop and hesitated before typing 'Janlan DuGrey' into the search engine. She clicked on the first link that came up and read the obituary.

 _Janlan DuGrey sadly passed away this morning, Saturday June 14th st 2006, after a ongoing illness. He leaves a son and a grandson. The funeral will take place on June 25th at St John's Church._

 **I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support!**


	89. Chapter 89

**Thank you for all your support! I know I keep repeating this but your support is what has kept me going with this story so thank you! :)**

Chapter 86

"Please?" Rory begged.

"Do you seriously think this is a good idea?" Charlotte asked as she fed Jack on the couch in their apartment.

"I just..I want to go to support him. You know about his relationship with his parents. He's hardly going get any support from them, is he? Only me, you and probably Paris know the extent of his family life. He was so close to his grandfather." She said.

"But isn't seeing him going to be too hard?" Charlotte said hesitantly.

"Probably." Rory said. "But he would do the same for us if Grandpa died. You know he would." She said.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah I know. But...I'm just worried for you. You were just starting to get move on..."

"I don't think I will ever move on from him." Rory admitted. "That's why I need you to come with me. Please?"

Charlotte sighed. "Look, I would but today's the day that Jess is going to get his cast off. I wanted to go with him." She said.

"It's fine. You don't need to." Jess said coming into the living room.

"I want to though. This is big." Charlotte said.

"It's fine. I'll go, get the cast back and come home." Jess said. "Rory needs you more. And I think Tristan would appreciate you being there as well. You two were good friends." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess..." She said. "But are you sure?"

"I'm positive." He assured her.

"Wait, what about Jack? I was going to bring him with us to the hospital but I can't take him to a funeral. And Luke and mom are busy today!" She said.

Jess thought for a moment. "What about Lane and Zach? I'm sure they could help out."

"You think?" Charlotte asked.

"I'll give Lane a ring." Jess nodded.

"So...you'll come?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, I'll come."

"Thank you!" Rory said gratefully.

* * *

Rory stopped as she saw a crowd of people walking into St John's Church in Hartford.

"You ok?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah...yeah I'm fine..." Rory said. She took a deep breath. "We better go in." She said.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said glancing at her sister, concerned.

They walked inside the church and took a seat at the back. Rory glanced to the front and could just see Tristan's dirty blonde hair. The funeral started and after a while, she saw Tristan stand up and go to the front. "He's doing the eulogy..." She whispered to Charlotte.

"Looks like it." She said.

Rory watched as Tristan started talking. She could see he was struggling. She straightened up and watched him, concerned. Suddenly, he noticed her and looked over at her stunned. She gave him a small nervous smile and was relieved to see him give her a small smile back.

"So that was...sad..." Charlotte commented as they walked out of the church.

"Yeah. I can't believe they made Tristan do the eulogy." Rory said.

"Maybe he wanted to?" Charlotte said.

"Oh, yeah, maybe..." Rory said.

"Rory, Charlotte!" A familiar voice called.

They turned to see Tristan coming towards them. "What are...why are...what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. I know you told me not to come but I know how much your grandpa meant to you. I just...I wanted to be here to support you." Rory said quietly.

"No..uh..I just...wasn't expecting you." He said.

"I know and I'm sorry. I..." Rory started but was cut off by Tristan giving her a hug.

"Thank you for coming." He said softly.

Rory let out a breath. "You're welcome." She said softly.

"I'm really sorry about your grandpa." Charlotte said, giving him a hug as well. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"Thanks." Tristan gave her a small smile. "I'm ok. It's just...you know..."

"Yeah." Charlotte said.

"Well..uh..we'll let you get on with the day. We should get going." Rory said quietly.

"You're going already?" Tristan asked surprised.

Charlotte glanced at Rory and then back at Tristan. "It's my fault. Jess is getting his cast off today and I want to be back as soon as I can. Plus I need to pick up Jack before Lane starts her shift at the diner." She said.

"Oh..ok." Tristan said. "Do you have to go?" He asked Rory hesitantly.

"Uh...yeah..." Rory said.

"So what, you come and then just leave?" He frowned.

"What?" Rory said.

"It's fine. Forget it. Have a good day." He said walking off.

"Tristan!" Rory called.

"Come on. It's a hard day for him. Let's just go." Charlotte said softly.

"Yeah..uh..ok..." Rory said quietly, watching Tristan walk off.

* * *

"So I bet you're glad to see the back of this cast." The doctor smiled.

"You have no idea." Jess said dryly.

"So I want you to have your crutches for another week anyway, just in case, and also so you don't put too much pressure on your leg straight away." The doctor said. "And no driving for another week either just to give you time to get used to having your leg out of the cast." He said.

"Yeah ok. Can I go now?" He asked.

"You're all set. Take care of yourself."

"I will." Jess said. "Thanks."

Jess got a cab back and was surprised to see Charlotte already back with Jack. "Oh hey! I thought you'd be gone for longer." He said.

"Yeah but suddenly Rory said we should go so I just did what she wanted." Charlotte shrugged

"Did she talk to Tristan?" He asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "They hugged and...that was it. Then Rory told him we should get going. It was weird. I think she bottled out."

"Well I guess seeing him must have been harder for her than she thought then." Jess said.

"Yeah maybe." Charlotte said. "Anyway, how are you feeling? No cast anymore!" She grinned.

"It does feel good." Jess smirked. "The doctor said I should still use the crutches sometimes just to put some pressure off my leg but apart from that, I'm back to normal."

"That's so good! And how does it feel, your leg?" She asked.

"Yeah ok. I've walked on it a bit and it feels good. Bit weird but good." He said.

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "So, we're all having dinner at the diner today. Fancy having a relaxing day before that?" She asked.

"Sure." He nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

That evening, Luke, Lorelai, Charlotte, Jess, Rory and April were all gathered at the diner. Luke had a late delivery so they thought it would be easier to have dinner there.

"So you went to the funeral?" Lorelai asked Rory. "How was that?"

"It was ok." Rory shrugged.

"Ok?"

"It was weird seeing him but I'm glad I went. He would have done the same thing for me." Rory said quietly.

"And what about you? How does it feel without the cast?" Lorelai smiled at Jess.

"Good." He smiled.

Suddenly the door to the diner burst open and Tristan came in. "So what, you thought you could just come and then leave straight away?" He said angrily.

"Tristan!" Rory said surprised getting up. "What...what are you doing here?"

"I don't know! You came to the funeral even though I told you not to!" He said.

"I came to support you!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well I would have rather you didn't seeing as you couldn't get away fast enough afterwards!" Tristan exclaimed. "What the hell was that about?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't want to interfere in the rest of the day! I wanted to show my support!" She exclaimed.

Tristan shook her head. "You knew! You knew this day would be hard for me! I didn't need you waltzing back into my life like it wouldn't mean anything and then just leaving just as quickly!"

"Hey, you were the one who called me first! You broke our agreement first! I was just trying to be supportive! I'm sorry, ok!" Rory said frustrated.

Tristan let out a big breath. It was then that he noticed everyone there. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I just...when I saw you at the church I thought...I thought maybe you...it was stupid."

"You thought what?" Rory asked.

"It doesn't matter. It was stupid of me to think you'd want to get back together." He said. He looked around. "I'm sorry I interrupted your dinner." He said. "I'll just go now."

"Wait!" Rory said. "You...you want to get back together?" She asked quietly.

Tristan looked at her. "This is stupid! We both love each other! Who cares if we're on the other side of the country from each other? If we love each other, that should be the only thing that matters!" He said.

"You really think the long distance thing could work?" Rory asked.

"I don't know! But what I do know is that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you! Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me and you want us to stay broken up. If you do that, I promise I'll leave and I won't bother you ever again." Tristan said.

"I...I..." Rory said, at a loss what to say.

"I love you, Rory. I've loved you since the first day I met you at Chilton." Tristan said softly. "I've never felt like this before in my whole life. And California sucks with the knowledge that I don't have you anymore." He admitted.

"I love you too." Rory admitted. "But the long distance thing...what if..."

"Screw the what ifs!" Tristan exclaimed. "We love each other! We want to be together! Right?" He said.

Rory looked at him. "Right." She said softly.

"Then what's the problem?" He said softly. He went forward and took hold of her hands. "I want to be with you, Rory. I love you."

Rory looked at him for a moment before going forward and kissing him. "I want to be with you too." She said softly.

"I don't want to go back to my parents' house." He admitted. "I'm only here for a night."

"Hey Tristan, why don't you join us for dinner?" Lorelai smiled warmly.

"You don't mind?" Tristan asked, blushing slightly, still embarrassed they all witnessed what had just happened.

"Of course not. And you're welcome to stay the night if you like." Lorelai smiled.

"We've got enough food." Luke said. He patted Tristan on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your grandfather."

"Thanks Luke." Tristan said gruffly.

Rory smiled softly. "I've missed you." She admitted.

"I've missed you too." Tristan said.

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :)**


	90. Chapter 90

**Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 87

Rory woke up the following morning quite early. She looked to her side and saw Tristan sleeping beside her in her bed. She smiled. She was worried it had all been a dream but it wasn't. She thought about what Tristan had said yesterday and she realised how right he was. It was stupid of them to throw something so great away just because they weren't going to be living in the same states. Plenty of long distance relationships actually did work. She glanced across to Charlotte's bed where April had been bunking while she was there. However, she had offered to go stay at Charlotte's and Jess' place to give them some space. She had felt guilty but it was obvious April was excited about spending time with them so she agreed.

"What you thinking about?"

Rory turned and smiled at Tristan. "Sorry, did I wake you?" She asked.

"No." He said. "You looked deep in thought. Want to share?"

"Just...thinking about how right you were last night." Rory smiled softly. "I've been an idiot. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, no." Tristan said sitting up next to her. "We both agreed to break up. We're both idiots." He pointed out.

Rory sighed. "This last month has been the worst for me. I wallowed but even after that I couldn't stop thinking about you." She admitted.

"That makes two of us." He sighed.

"You wallowed?" Rory asked with a slight smirk.

Tristan chuckled. "Probably not the way you did but I went out to a pub and got completely wasted." He admitted.

"Aw Tristan..." Rory said feeling awful.

"It's fine." He assured her. "It's all better now, isn't it?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah it is." She said softly. "What time is your flight?" She asked hesitantly. She didn't want to think about him leaving.

"1." Tristan sighed. "Hey, fancy a walk before I go? We could go grab some coffee?"

"I can always have coffee." She grinned. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Something smells nice." Charlotte smiled walking into their kitchen, carrying Jack.

"We're making pancakes!" April grinned.

"Did we wake you?" Jess asked.

"Nah, the smells did." She grinned. "You were up early."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep." Jess said.

"You're just showing off now you no longer have your cast on." Charlotte joked.

"Maybe that too." Jess smirked. "Pancakes are ready, want to set the table?"

"Sure." She smiled, placing Jack in his little playpen and getting some plates out of the cupboard.

"Thanks again for letting me bunk here last night." April said. "I feel guilty interrupting your evening."

"Don't be daft! You're always welcome here." Charlotte smiled. "Plus I don't really blame you not wanting to share a room with Rory and Tristan last night." She joked. "A month without seeing each other. I can only imagine what they got up to!"

"Ew!" April screwed up her nose.

"Nice." Jess shook his head.

"Bon appetite everyone!" Charlotte grinned.

* * *

"So tell me, how was Luke so calm about me staying the night with you?" Tristan asked as him and Rory walked through the square, holding hands.

"Because he's in a happy bubble at the moment." Rory said.

"Happy bubble?" Tristan smirked.

"Yeah, ever since mom found out she was pregnant!" Rory smiled.

"Your mom's pregnant?" He asked surprised.

"Oh...yeah! Sorry, I forgot you didn't know that." She said. "She found out a few weeks ago."

"Cool!" He smiled.

They were passing Doose's just as Dean and Lindsey came out. "Oh...hey..." Dean said awkwardly.

"Hey.." Rory said awkwardly. Her and Dean hadn't really had much to do with each other since they broke up. She had heard he and Lindsey had gotten married. She'd watched from afar as they exited the church with beaming smiles on their faces and she was genuinely happy for him. She had nothing against Dean, it just hadn't worked out between them. She had hoped he would find happiness again and he clearly had. Every so often she'd see them around town and they seemed very happy together. "Oh..uh..congratulations on the wedding." She said. "I know it was a few years ago now but..."

"Thanks." Dean said.

"How are you doing?" Lindsey smiled.

"Yeah good." Rory nodded. "About to start my last year at Yale." She said.

"Cool!" Lindsey smiled.

"Wow last year huh? You enjoying it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah I am." She smiled.

"Figured." Dean gave her a small smile. He glanced at Tristan. "I guess I was right about you two, huh?" He said.

Rory glanced at Tristan and smiled at him, which Tristan reciprocated. "Yeah, I guess you were..." She said softly. "Dean kind of realised I liked you before I did." She told Tristan.

"Huh." Tristan said. "I guess thanks are in order then." He nodded at Dean.

"No need." Dean said awkwardly. "I guess it worked out for both of us in the end." He said, smiling at Lindsey.

"Well...uh...Tristan's off to California around lunch time so we were just going to grab some coffee..." Rory said. "It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah..you too." Dean nodded.

"Bye Dean." Rory smiled softly.

"Bye Rory." Dean gave her a small smile.

"Well that was awkward..." Tristan said as they walked towards Luke's.

"It was bound to happen at some point. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner." Rory said. "He was nice though...right?"

"Yeah." Tristan admitted. "I guess I got him wrong too."

Rory smiled. "He was great. We just...weren't meant to be." She said.

"But we are?" Tristan said.

Rory smiled. "Looks like it." She said.

"I'm not letting you go again, trust me." Tristan said.

"I like hearing that." Rory smiled. "Now let's go get some coffee!" She grinned.

* * *

"You didn't have to go to the airport with me, you know." Tristan said.

"I just wanted to spend as much time with you as I could. This gave me more time." Rory said quietly.

"But this will make it harder to say goodbye." Tristan sighed.

"I don't care. I'm seeing you off." Rory said.

Tristan smiled softly. "Ok." He said.

Rory watched as Tristan checked himself and his bags in. She blinked back some tears. She vowed to herself she wouldn't cry infront of him. She forced a smile out when she saw him heading back over to him.

"So, I have to go through security now..." Tristan said.

"Yeah..." Rory said tremulously.

"We'll make this work ok?" He said pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah. We will." Rory said quietly, actually believing it this time. "Ring me when you get there?"

"Of course." He said. "I love you." He said leaning in for a kiss.

Rory reciprocated, running her hands through his hair as she did. "I love you too." She said tremulously. She could feel tears falling down her face. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry." She said laughing slightly.

Tristan chuckled, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. "Take Yale by storm ok? Be great! And I promise I will be there to see you graduate." He said.

"That will be the next time we see each other?" Rory's eyes widened.

Tristan chuckled. "No. I'm just saying, I'm proud of you, Mary." he said softly.

"I'm proud of you too." Rory said. "You better go. You don't want to miss your flight."

"I'll call you when I'm there." Tristan said giving her another kiss.

"I look forward to it." Rory smiled tremulously. "Bye Tristan." She said softly.

"Bye." He said softly. He then headed through security, taking one last glance at Rory before disappearing from view.

Rory let out a big shuddering breath. She wiped away some tears before slowly turning round and heading towards the exit. She was surprised to see Charlotte and April walking towards her. "What are you doing here?" She asked surprised.

"Well, I seem to remember my sister being there for me the day Jess left for Philadelphia so I figured you might like some sibling time as well to take your mind off everything." Charlotte smiled.

Rory smiled at them both. "That sounds really great right now." She said softly.

"Well come on then, remember when we used to have those sister days?" Charlotte said. "We used to go into Hartford, go to the bookshop and then art shop and then grab a pretzel from that stand outside. Thought we could introduce them to April." She smiled.

Rory smiled. "Absolutely!"

"Sounds good!" April smiled, pleased to be involved.

"It gets easier." Charlotte whispered to Rory.

Rory put her arm round her sister. "Thanks for this." She said softly.

"Hey, what are sisters for eh?" Charlotte smiled. "Jess is watching Jack for the day so we've got all day! Now let's go buy out Hartford!" She grinned. "Oh and April, I failed to mention there is an amazing science shop as well!"

"Really?" April's eyes widened excitedly.

"Yep!" She grinned, winking at Rory. "Let's go have some fun."

Rory laughed as the three of them left the airport, really grateful to have them there with her at the moment. Charlotte was right, she needed to take her mind off Tristan for a bit especially when he was on the flight with no way to contact her. This was the best way to do it. She smiled as she watched Charlotte and April share a joke.

"Hey, you ok?" Charlotte glanced at her.

"Yeah just thinking how much sibling time is underrated." Rory smiled softly.

"Ya ya sister!" Charlotte grinned, thrusting her fist up into the air.

 **So I hope you liked it! The next chapter will move it on a bit and Rory will be back at Yale! :) Please keep your reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks again for all your support. It really does mean so much to me! :)**


	91. Chapter 91

**Thank you for your continued support! I know someone of you don't like some of the stuff that's happening in the story but I still have so many ideas so I really hope you stay with me and keep reading! :)**

Chapter 88

Summer soon came to an end and life went back to what it was like before. Rory returned to Yale, April headed back to her mom's and Charlotte and Jess started working and sending stuff to Philadelphia.

Summer ending also meant Luke and Lorelai going for their 12 week scan. They were sat in the doctor's office, Lorelai having an ultrasound done, looking at their baby on the screen.

"Would you like to know the gender of your baby?" The doctor smiled.

"Oh..uh.." Lorelai said. They hadn't really thought about that. She turned to Luke. "What do you think? Do you want to know?"

"Wouldn't hurt knowing." Luke said. "It would help with preparations." He said.

"True." Lorelai said. "But it would be nice leaving it a surprise as well." She said.

"I don't mind." Luke said honestly. "You decide."

"Luke..." Lorelai sighed.

"No honestly! It's healthy, that's the main thing for me." Luke said.

"But would you like to know?" She asked softly.

Luke thought for a moment, looking at the screen and then back at his wife. "Yeah.." He admitted. "I think I do."

"Then let's." She smiled.

"You sure? I want this to be a joint decision as well." Luke said.

"I think I do want to know." Lorelai said. "I didn't with Charlotte and Rory but like you said, it would help to be prepared."

"Ok." Luke smiled.

"We'd like to know." Lorelai smiled at the doctor.

"Well congratulations, you're having a girl." The doctor smiled at them.

"A girl..." Lorelai let out a breath. She turned to Luke. "We're having a girl."

"Yeah..." Luke said, smiling softly. "A little girl."

"We're going to have a daughter." Lorelai smiled softly, blinking back tears.

"A daughter.." Luke smiled. He leant forward to give her a kiss. "We're having a daughter."

* * *

Rory headed to this art exhibition she knew Olivia had some art at. She was going to meet them there. On the way there, her cell rang. She grabbed it out of her pocket quickly, thinking it might be Tristan.

"Hey!" She answered.

"Well hello, Rory. You sound chipper." Richard said.

"Oh, hi grandpa."

"You're back at Yale?" He asked.

"Yep. Back at Yale."

"Tell her the good news, Richard!" She heard Emily shout from the background.

"I'm coming to that." Richard said.

"It's very exciting!" Emily called.

"What's exciting?" Rory smiled.

"Well, when I was at my Yale class reunion, I had a chance to meet one of my former classmates, Harold Laken. You know him as the dean of undergraduate education. Harold was also a fellow Whiffenpoof." Richard told her.

"The news, Richard!" Emily shouted.

"Yes, right well it seems like there was a sudden vacancy in the economics department and they need someone to teach a course this semester and Harold immediately thought of me." Richard said.

"Can you believe it? Your grandfather, a professor!" Emily said happily.

"I'm just a visiting lecturer." Richard said. "What I want to know is whether you'd be okay with this. I'm going to be on the campus at the same time you are and there's a chance we might run into one another."

"I promise, you will not cramp my style." Rory smiled.

"Well, that's wonderful, because I have to admit I'm really quite excited about it." He admitted.

"That's great, Grandpa. Congratulations. Well, why don't we meet up after your first class and grab dinner and celebrate?"

"Oh, I would love that but I've already scheduled dinner with Harold."

"Ah ok, another time then." Rory smiled, walking up to where the art exhibition was being held. "I'm sorry but I have to go now. Paper business." She said.

"Oh of course. Well I'll get in touch about that dinner sometime." Richard said.

"You do that. Bye Grandpa." She smiled.

* * *

"So...seeing as we know the gender and we know everything's going well, don't you think it's time to tell your parents about the baby?" Luke said cautiously as he started cooking dinner at home for them.

"Not yet." Lorelai said quietly.

"Lorelai.." Luke sighed.

"I'm sorry! But they didn't have the best reaction to me telling them the first time. I just don't want them to ruin this happy time for us." She admitted.

"Lorelai, the last time you told them, you were 16." Luke pointed out.

"So?" Lorelai said defensively. "They could have been more understanding!"

"What, like you were when you found out about Charlotte?" Luke said.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "That's a low blow." She said.

Luke sighed. "Look, what I mean is that it's understandable that they would be shocked when you went to them at 16 and told them you were pregnant." He said. "I know Charlotte was older, but if she came to you at 16, tell me you wouldn't act the same."

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah ok. But I'm just...scared." She admitted. "I don't want them to ruin this."

"I get that. I get your relationship with them has been bumpy but you've been getting on better with them recently, right?" He said.

"Yeah I guess..."

"And we're married." Luke pointed out. He sighed. "Look, I would give anything to tell my parents about our news right now. But I can't." He said.

Lorelai's face softened. "Oh hon.." She said softly.

"Your parents have been good lately. I'm sure they'll be excited when they hear they're going to be grandparents again." Luke assured her. "But please, just don't hide it any longer. They'll be madder the longer you wait."

"Yeah you're right." She sighed. "I'll tell them at the next dinner."

"Good." Luke said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory was walking through the exhibition looking at the art displays and making notes "Excuse me. Do you know what the light bulbs are all about?" She asked a guy watching the lights come on and go out after a few seconds.

"Shock in your system." He said.

"Effective." She said moving on and went over to a water cooler.

"What are you doing?" Lucy said going up to her with Olivia.

"Oh hi!" She smiled. "Just getting some water."

"She's touching your art." Lucy said to Olivia.

"What are you doing? Are you actually drinking that water?" Olivia asked.

"Oh..uh..I didn't know it was art, I thought it was just a water cooler. There's no sign or anything." Rory said suddenly getting worried.

"Just a water cooler." Olivia raised her eyebrows.

"That's her self-portrait." Lucy said seriously.

"I'm sorry." Rory said. She then watched as they both cracked up. "Hey!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry but that was too fun!" Lucy grinned.

"Yeah sorry." Olivia smirked. "I made the horse." She said.

"Oh cool, I really like that one." Rory said.

"Thanks." She smiled proudly.

"It looks really big. It looks bigger than the doorway."

"Yeah well, it turns out it is as I found out like four hours before the show was going to start. I had to detach the head, then reattach it when I got here. Does it look crooked?" She asked.

"Not to me."

"No, it does."

"Oh if it does look crooked, which it doesn't, I think it looks better than it did before, more jaunty." Lucy said.

"What's it made out of?" Rory asked going into her journalist head.

"Cans mostly. Tinfoil. A couple hubcaps. I do stuff with found objects. I mean if you could call it trash but that'd be kind of negative." Olivia said.

"She once made this sculpture of an old lady out of plastic sandwich bags and milk cartons which was so cool. She's awesome." Lucy smiled.

"Oh shut up!" Olivia laughed.

"You are really good." Rory said.

"Thanks." Olivia said humbly.

"Ok, well now you're here, you've got to let us show you around the rest of the show." Lucy smiled.

"Cool, thanks!" Rory said.

"Yeah come on we'll help you with your article, give you the skinny on everyone." Olivia said. "Did you see the light bulb thing?" She grinned.

"My retinas are still ringing." Rory smirked.

"Our friend Joel did that. He just transferred from M.I.T. Dude's wicked smart. His work is always about technology." Lucy said.

"I think Joel's a genius but I'll admit, I could be biased by the fact that he's a total fox." Olivia grinned.

"Is that the guy in the 70s prom tuxedo?" Rory asked.

"No, that's Elijah. He's doing a performance piece. He's been doing it since we were juniors. Who knows if it'll ever end? Ok, you've got to see our friend Kasha's piece. It's called 'girl without clothes,' and it's far out." Olivia smiled.

"Yeah come on!" Lucy smiled.

* * *

"So..uh..there's something I want to talk to you about..." Lorelai said hesitantly as she and Luke relaxed on the couch after having had dinner.

"Ok.." Luke said dubiously, glancing at her. "Why do I have a feeling I won't like this?"

"Well you know how I'm going to Yale for Parent's Day tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Well I found out this morning that Chris was planning on going as well..." She said nervously.

"Ah.." Luke said suddenly understanding.

"And I've kind of been putting off telling you." Lorelai admitted. "Not because I was going to hide it...I was always going to tell you." She added quickly.

"I know." Luke assured her.

"So..uh..is that ok?" She asked.

"Lorelai, you don't need to check with me every time you're going to go to something where Chris is going to be. He's Rory's dad. He has every right to be there." Luke pointed out.

"I know, it's just..." Lorelai said.

"It's fine, Lorelai." Luke assured her. "Chris and I...well, we came to an understanding." He said.

"You did?" She said confused.

"We talked...when Jess was in hospital after the crash." He admitted.

"You did?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah..he..uh..he apologised for what happened at the vow renewal." Luke said.

"Seriously?" Lorelai asked surprised. "You never said..."

"I was going to. I guess I just forgot." Luke said. "But he actually seemed sincere. Anytime I'd seen him before, he..well he acted like a smug jerk." He said smirking slightly.

"Say what you really think, why don't you?" She smirked.

"Anyway, this time...I don't know, that was no hidden agenda. Well there didn't seem to be a hidden agenda. He wasn't acting like he was before whenever we met. He was...well, sincere." Luke told her.

"Wow..." Lorelai said.

"And he..uh..he thanked me.." He admitted.

"For what?"

"For looking out for Charlotte and Rory when he should have been. And.." Luke said but then stopped.

"And?"

"And...well..he thanked me for being the man you deserved to be with." He said glancing down at the floor.

Lorelai smiled. "You are that man." She said softly.

Luke glanced at her and smiled. "We settled our differences. We're good." He said.

"You sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure." He smiled.

* * *

"So, after my third callback he told me that a girl can't play Oscar Wilde. He said he wanted people to take this production seriously, like he's Peter Brook." Lucy was saying as the three of them walked towards Rory's apartment.

"Or something and not some goateed sophomore from Arkansas." Olivia said.

"So I give him my most foppish stare and tell him that life is too important to be taken seriously." Lucy said.

"Nice." Rory said.

"But on the way out, as I'm making my dramatic exit, I walk right into the glass door." She grinned.

"No way!" Rory laughed. "Ouch!" She said unlocking the door and leading them in.

"So the next semester, he keeps hounding me about how I'd be perfect for his production of California suite because I have such a gift for physical comedy." Lucy said causing Rory to chuckle. "So is the famous Paris not here?" She asked.

"No, sorry. She's out with Doyle tonight I think." Rory said.

"Shame." Lucy pouted.

"Well, I must eat. I'm positively famished." Olivia said. "Do you have popcorn?"

"Yeah, there should be some in there." Rory nodded pointing to a cupboard in the kitchen area.

"You have a hell of a lot of rice in here, Rory. White rice, brown rice, long-stem rice. You are simply crazy for rice." Lucy said looking through the cupboards with Olivia.

"Well, who doesn't like rice?" Rory grinned.

"Look who found an air popper!" Olivia said triumphantly.

"Cool!" Lucy said.

"Now we just need some popcorn. Or something else that could be cooked in here. Rice. Who's up for a late-night snack of air-popped rice?" Olivia joked.

Lucy went over and started playing some music on their small sound system. "Party time!" She grinned.

Just then Rory's cell rang. "Oh sorry, do you guys mind? I think it might be Tristan." She said.

"Oh yeah, that's right! You two are back together!" Lucy said. "Will we get to meet the hottie at any time soon?" She grinned.

Rory laughed. "He'll love to know you think he's a hottie!" She said.

"Don't you dare tell him!" Lucy gasped.

Rory just grinned and answered her cell. "Hey!"

"Hey." Tristan said.

"Hi."

"What's going on? You having a party, Mary?" Tristan asked hearing the music.

"Oh no, I'm just hanging out with a few friends." Rory smiled.

"Just friends, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Anybody I know or..?" He asked.

"No. Just some girls I met." Rory smiled.

"Hi, Tristan!" Olivia called.

"Hi, Tristan!" Lucy called as well.

"Just girls, huh? Your new boyfriend's not over?" Tristan joked.

"Nope. Just us girls hanging out in our underwear, throwing pillows at each other." Rory grinned.

"Sounds very wholesome and loud." Tristan chuckled.

"So how's it going?" Rory asked.

"Yeah good." Tristan said. "I miss you though."

"I miss you too." Rory said.

"Hey Rory? This says it's popcorn but it looks so fancy. Can I open it or are you saving it for a special occasion or something?" Olivia asked.

"Go ahead." Rory said. "Sorry." She told Tristan. "Do you mind if I call you back later?" She said apologetically.

"Sure, no problem. Have fun." Tristan smiled.

"I will. Love you. Bye." Rory smiled.

* * *

Charlotte woke up the following morning early. She glanced across and saw Jess was still asleep so she got up quietly and headed into the kitchen/living area. She grabbed her sketchbook and went over to the table where she found a pile of papers. She looked at it interested and suddenly realised it was a book. She was surprised when she saw Jess as the author's name. She slowly started reading it.

"What are you doing?" Jess' voice suddenly said after a few moments.

Charlotte jumped. "Geez, don't do that!" She exclaimed.

"That's private." He said.

"Yeah so private that you left it on the kitchen table for everyone to see." Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't know you would be up so early." He said.

"I wanted to finish some illustrations I was working on so I could finally get them sent off to Chris and Matt today." Charlotte said. "Is this what you've been working at so late every night?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jess admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me you were writing another book?" Charlotte asked.

"Chris and Matt haven't even proofread it yet. It will probably be awful." Jess shrugged.

"It's not awful!" Charlotte said. "I know I've only read a few pages but it's amazing, Jess!" She enthused.

"You really think so?" He asked quietly.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah." She said softly. "It's really good. Were you going to send it to them today?" She asked.

"Yeah. I've got to do the epilogue but after that, yeah." He nodded.

"Ok, that won't take long, will it?"

"Shouldn't do, why?"

"We should go celebrate!" She grinned.

"It's not even published yet!" Jess said humbly.

"I know but it will be." Charlotte said. "Ok, how about this, we finish our work this morning and then go and take Jack swimming this afternoon?"

"Swimming?" Jess raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I've been researching it and we can take him when he's 6 months, which he was last week." Charlotte nodded. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

Jess groaned. "Really?"

"Don't you want Jack to be able to swim when he's older?" Charlotte said.

"Yes, but he's not even 1 yet!" Jess said.

"Yeah but the younger you get them in the water, the easier they'll find it. Please? We haven't had much family time recently with all our work. And your leg's all healed now. Please?" She said.

Jess groaned. "I'm going to kill your mom for teaching you that pout." He said.

"Is that a yes?" She grinned.

"Yes ok, we'll go swimming." Jess relented.

"I love you." She grinned.

"Stupid Gilmore pout." He grumbled.

* * *

Lorelai parked her jeep and then walked through Yale to where they were meant to check in. She knew Chris was meeting her there. She was a bit nervous as she hadn't really talked to Chris since the vow renewal. Obviously she had seen him at the hospital but she didn't have time to speak to him. She spotted him waiting by a tree. She took a deep breath and walked over to him. "Hey." She said.

"Oh hey!" Chris smiled.

"Hi." Lorelai said.

"You already said that." He said.

"So I did. So I did." She laughed nervously.

Chris smirked. "Ok then. So, I think we check in over there." He said gesturing to a row of tables.

"Ok." Lorelai said. She glanced at him and let out a breath. Why was this so awkward? "Grass is just not this green.." She said.

"What?" Chris laughed.

"Not outside of Pleasantville, it isn't." Lorelai said.

"So, what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm suggesting they brought in sod."

"You suspect sod.?" He smirked.

"Yes yes, or spray paint. Maybe they spray-painted the grass when they spray-painted these trees because I mean there's autumnal foliage and then there's autumnal foliage. It's over the top, people." Lorelai said.

"You're onto them. Hey, you think Yale piped in this crisp fall smell?" Chris played along.

"Uh, yeah, because Yale is crafty, Yale is smart. Yale is Yale, after all!" Lorelai exclaimed. She glanced at Chris who was smirking and she laughed, finally starting to relax in his company again. "Hi." She smiled softly.

"Hi." He smiled.

They got in line to check in. Lorelai glanced at him. "So..uh..Luke mentioned the talk you had in the hospital..." She said.

"He did?" Chris said.

"Yeah. I was sort of worried about telling him that you would be here today." She admitted. "I ended up telling him last night."

"Lorelai Gilmore, forever the procrastinator." Chris joked. "So, he was ok with it?" He checked.

"Yeah. He actually was." Lorelai nodded. "He told me about the talk you two had and he said you seemed sincere. That you apologised for what happened...at the vow renewal."

Chris cleared his throat. "I should apologise to you about that as well." He said.

"There's no need." Lorelai said.

"There is a need. I was selfish, I was drunk and I didn't consider your feelings at all. I'm truly sorry." He said sincerely.

"It's ok." Lorelai smiled softly. "It's in the past now. A lot has happened since then." She said.

"Yeah...I heard about your wedding. Congratulations." Chris smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"So you and Luke are doing well?" He asked.

"Yeah we are." She said, smiling, thinking about the baby.

"You're happy?"

"I'm very happy." Lorelai smiled softly. "Actually...uh...Luke and I are...uh...I'm pregnant." She admitted.

"Pregnant?" Chris said stunned. "The girls didn't say..."

"It's early days yet but yeah...we're having a girl." Lorelai said quietly. She glanced up at him. "We're really happy."

Chris was quiet for a moment before finally giving her a small smile. "That's...great." He said genuinely. "Really, I'm glad you're happy, Lor. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Lorelai said softly. "So how about you? Any woman on the horizon?"

"Well..." He said blushing slightly.

"Oh my god, there is!" Lorelai grinned. "Who is it?" She asked.

"Someone I work with. Her name's Penny." Chris admitted. "We..uh..we've been seeing each other a few weeks now. It's still early days."

"But you like her?" Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah...I like her." He admitted.

"Well I'm glad." She said softly. "Really, Chris. I've always wanted you to be happy. You know that right?"

"I know." He said softly. "Thanks Lor."

"Oh I think we're next." Lorelai said as they reached the front of the queue.

"Hello." Chris smiled at the volunteer behind the table.

"Hi." The volunteer smiled broadly.

"Let me ask you something. Do you really go here or are you an actress hired by Yale?" Lorelai joked.

"What? I go here. I go here." She laughed perkily.

"You're good. I almost believe you." Lorelai said.

"I'm sorry?"

"Hi. We're Rory Gilmore's parents." Chris said stifling a laugh.

"Well, Rory Gilmore's parents, welcome to parents' weekend. Here's a parents' packet." She smiled giving it to them.

"Fabulous." Lorelai said matching the volunteer's perkiness.

"Inside, you should find a map of the campus. You are here." The volunteer said.

"So we are." Lorelai said.

"A schedule of the weekend's events and a nametag."

"Thanks. Great. Go bulldogs!" Lorelai said.

"I was just going to say that. Have fun, you two." The volunteer laughed.

"Ok." Lorelai said. "She so doesn't go here." She said as they walked away, giving him a nametag.

"Thank you."

"Hey, let's be Laverne and Shirley!"

"What? No." Chris laughed.

"Antony and Cleopatra? F. Scott and Zelda? Zinf and Del?"

"I think I'll stick with my own name." He smirked.

"Senior boring pants? Mr stick in the mud?" She joked. She glanced at what he wrote and laughed. ""Hello, I'm Rory Gilmore's dad, Christopher. Really?"

"What? Aren't you meant to put your name on it?" He said.

"I'm going to have to ask you to walk 15 feet in front of me." She joked.

"Alright you can mock!" He chuckled. "But this is my first time at an event like this. I don't want to embarrass Rory."

Lorelai's expression softened. "Chris, Rory's just happy you're here. I've heard from both girls how happy they are with you lately. They know you're really trying." She said softly.

"Yeah?" He said relieved.

"Yeah. So just relax." Lorelai smiled. "Now we said we'd meet Rory for lunch so let's go."

* * *

Jess looked up from the pool, where he had already gotten into with Jack, when he heard a wolf whistle. He was met with Charlotte grinning at him. "Why, who's that hot guy in the pool?" She grinned.

"Do you get off on one embarrassing me?" He shook his head.

"Yes." She grinned, jumping into the pool. "How's he doing?" She asked.

"He seems to like it." Jess smiled as Jack started throwing his arms up and down splashing the water.

"Aw he does, doesn't he?" Charlotte smiled.

Jack stretched his arms out towards Charlotte.

"Looks like someone wants his mommy." Jess smiled handing him over.

"Hey Jack.." She smiled softly, taking hold of him. She bounced him up and down and he squealed in delight. "He really does like it, huh?" She laughed.

"Looks like it." Jess smiled.

Charlotte glanced over at him. "Admit it, you're having fun."

"Never." He smirked.

"You so are!" She grinned.

"Yeah sure, whatever." Jess smirked.

They took it in turns to get Jack used to the water and get him splashing around.

"Thanks for coming." She glanced over at Jess after a moment. "This has been nice. Doing this together, as a family." She said softly.

"Yeah. It has been." Jess finally admitted. "You're right. We haven't done stuff as a family for a while."

"We should make this a weekly thing. Or a fortnightly thing." Charlotte said. "So we know we'll get some time together."

"Sounds good." Jess smiled.

* * *

"So it was good?" Luke asked Lorelai that evening after she had returned from Yale.

"Yeah it was. We looked around, had lunch with Rory, went to some lectures. It was fun." She said. "I never thought it would be." She admitted. "But it was."

"Good." He nodded.

"Chris and I had a good talk as well." She said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. We cleared the air, he apologised to me about the vow renewal, I told him I was pregnant and we were happy, he told me he'd met someone. It was a good talk." She smiled.

"Good." Luke smiled genuinely. "I'm glad."

"You're really ok with Chris now, aren't you?" Lorelai glanced at him, smiling.

"Yeah." He said. "Why wouldn't I be? You said he's met someone. He seems to finally be over you so I have nothing to worry about. And even if I did, we're happy right?" He said.

Lorelai smiled. "Right." She said softly.

"Then what is there to worry about?" Luke said.

"I love you." She smiled softly.

Luke smiled. "I love you too." He said.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so please keep them coming! Thanks again for your support! :)**


	92. Chapter 92

**Thanks for all your support so far! :) Now I've been thinking about this chapter for a while now and I've been very nervous and worried about what the reaction will be to this so I really hope you like it! Please be kind! :P**

Chapter 89

"Can't one of you just run me over so we don't have to go in?" Lorelai said as they stood outside the Gilmore Mansion. "It's shame Jess isn't here. He's a pro!"

"Mom!" Charlotte exclaimed, carrying Jack.

"Just relax. It'll be fine." Luke said.

"Where is Jess anyway?" Rory asked Charlotte.

"He's talking to Chris and Matt tonight. They're going over his second book and preparing for it to get published." Charlotte smiled proudly.

"Cool." Rory smiled.

Suddenly the door opened and Emily was stood there. "What are you all doing out here?" She demanded.

"Oh, well, we were just...chatting..." Lorelai said.

"Chatting? And you wanted to leave us out of this chatting?" Emily said stiffly.

"Hey Grandma, look who's come!" Charlotte smiled, handing Jack over.

Emily's expression softened. "Hello Jack." She said.

"Thank you." Lorelai whispered to Charlotte.

"Jack's always good for distracting!" She smirked.

"Well come on in, all of you." Emily said. "Your father's in here." She said leading them to the living room. "Look who decided to join us tonight." She smiled at her husband.

"Oh it's been a while since we've seen this little guy." Richard smiled happily. "Give him here."

"No. I haven't had a cuddle yet." Emily said.

Everyone sat down and Richard got drinks for everyone.

"Oh just water for me today, dad." Lorelai said when he handed her a martini.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Emily asked.

"Oh well...uh...I'm driving." She said.

"You always drive. That doesn't stop you drinking." Emily said.

"Yes well, I..." Lorelai started but then she felt Luke's hand on her knee.

"Tell them." He said softly.

"Tell us what?" Emily said.

Lorelai sighed and took a deep breath. "Luke and I...we have some news to share with you." She said.

"What news?" She asked.

"Yes, you can't leave us in suspense now." Richard said.

"Well...Luke and I...we're...well...I'm pregnant." Lorelai said quietly.

"And we're really happy about it." Luke said.

"We all are!" Charlotte smiled. "Aren't we?" She said to Rory.

"Yeah!" She nodded.

Lorelai smiled gratefully at her daughters. She glanced at her parents. "I know the last time I came to you with this news, it doesn't hold the best memories. I'm sorry I didn't tell you both sooner but I guess...I guess I was nervous..." She admitted.

"Well you shouldn't have been! You and Luke are married. You're happy. This is great news!" Richard smiled.

"Really?" Lorelai let out a relieved breath.

"Absolutely! We're going to have have another grandchild!" He smiled.

"Actually...you're going to have another granddaughter." Lorelai smiled softly.

"It's a girl?" Emily spoke for the first time.

"Yeah..." Lorelai nodded.

Emily looked at her daughter. "Are you happy?" She asked.

Lorelai smiled and glanced at Luke. "We're very happy." She said.

"Then...I guess congratulations are in order." Emily gave her a small smile.

"Thanks mom." Lorelai said softly. "And I want you both to know that I really want you involved from the beginning. It's going to be different this time. Both Luke and I want you to know your granddaughter."

Emily smiled tremulously. "Thank you Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled back. "So...what's for dinner?" She asked.

* * *

The following afternoon, Charlotte got back to their flat after had gone for a walk with Jack while Jess was finishing off some work. He was just finishing it off when the phone rang. He went and answered it. "Hello?"

"It's a girl!" An enthusiastic voice said down the phone.

"Mom?" Jess said confused.

"Of course it's me! Who else would it be? It was a girl! I had her this morning! You've got such a beautiful sister, darling!" Liz gushed.

"Well...that's great." Jess sad gruffly.

"Well you could be a bit more excited!" Liz exclaimed.

"I could be. But considering I didn't even know you were pregnant, forgive me that I'm not jumping up and down in excitement." He said.

"What? Don't be silly! Of course I told you!" Liz said.

"I think I'd remember something like that. Don't worry, I'm used to you not telling me things. It was Luke who told me you were getting married. And considering you didn't even come to my wedding, I'm not surprised. I'm used to it." He said.

"Jess..."

"Forget it. Just make sure you do a better job with this one." Jess said before hanging up. He threw the phone down on the couch just as Charlotte came in.

"What did the phone do to you?" She joked. She then saw Jess' face. "What's wrong?" She said.

"It seems like I have a sister." He said.

"What?" She laughed.

"I'm glad you find it funny." He grumbled.

"I don't! I just...Did we even know your mom was pregnant?" Charlotte said.

"Nope. She didn't see it fit to tell me." Jess said bitterly.

"Oh." Charlotte said quietly.

"But I bet I know who did know!" Jess said, grabbing his jacket.

"What? Who? Jess!" Charlotte called but sighed as he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Luke looked up from the counter in the diner and smiled when he saw Jess come in. "I guess you heard the news then huh?" He said.

"You knew..." Jess said quietly.

"What?" He said confused.

"You knew Liz was pregnant." He said.

"What? Yeah, I knew! Isn't it great news?" Luke said.

"Yeah..fantastic." Jess said sarcastically.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to be a big brother?" He said confused.

"I might have been. If I'd known." Jess said.

"Wait, what?" Luke said. "Liz didn't tell you that she had her this morning?"

"Oh no, she told me that! She just failed to tell me I was even going to be a brother."

"What?" Luke said shocked.

"But hey, she told her brother so everything's good right?" Jess said bitterly. "You didn't think to tell me?"

"I thought she'd told you!" Luke exclaimed. "How would I know that you didn't know?"

"Because it's Liz! She didn't tell me she was getting married, she didn't bother to come to my wedding... Of course she wasn't going to tell me she was pregnant!" Jess exclaimed angrily.

"Hey, why are you getting angry at me?" Luke exclaimed frustrated.

"Because you were the first person I trusted! You were the first person I realised I could count on!" Jess shouted, ignoring the fact that the diner was packed full. "But I guess you're just like Liz after all!"

"That's not fair!" Luke said angrily.

"Do you know what's not fair? You and Liz not telling me! You're just as bad as her! I hate you! I hate you all!" He shouted before storming out.

"Jess, wait!" Luke called after him.

* * *

Charlotte was putting Jack down for a nap when she heard the front door slam. She quietly closed Jack's door and then went into the living room. "Hey.." She said cautiously.

"Hey." He grumbled.

"What's happened?" She asked.

"Luke knew! Liz told him! He knew and he didn't tell me!" Jess exclaimed.

"Well...maybe he thought you knew..." She said.

Jess snorted. "No, they didn't tell me because they probably thought I'd mess the kid up!" He snapped.

"That's not true!" Charlotte frowned. "You're amazing with Jack!"

"I'm always going to be the screwed up kid! The kid that my mom couldn't handle!" He said.

"Jess, just calm down..." Charlotte said.

"No! This is crap!" Jess exclaimed angrily. He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "I bet your mom knew."

"What?" Charlotte said confused.

"Well Luke tells your mom everything and you mom tells you everything so are you sure you didn't know?" He said.

"What are you saying?" Charlotte frowned.

"I'm saying...I think you knew but because you've made it up with your dad and everything is good there, you've stopped trying to fix my family and couldn't be bothered to tell me." He snapped.

"You seriously think I would hide something like this from you?" Charlotte said hurt.

"Well, you hid that you were pregnant! I only found out because Luke phoned me!" Jess exclaimed.

"That is so unfair." Charlotte said getting angry. "You know I was terrified! I was going to tell you, you know that!"

Jess snorted. "Everyone thinks they're better off without me. I'm a screw up. I always will be!"

"Ok, you seriously need to calm down and think about what you're saying." Charlotte said grimly.

"Just admit you knew!" Jess exclaimed.

"I didn't know! My mom or Luke didn't say anything about it!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I get that you're angry but this isn't fair and you know it!"

"You're all in it together." Jess shook his head.

"Jess, stop! I love you!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"How could you? You kept this from me!" Jess shouted.

"I didn't know!" Charlotte shouted. "God Jess, I thought you got past this whole sulky teenager phase! You're 22 now, grow up!"

Jess snorted. "Sulky? Nice."

"Stop it! You seriously need to calm down." Charlotte said.

"No, I seriously to get away from you and my crazy family." Jess said grabbing his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"To get wasted!" Jess snapped before storming out, leaving Charlotte just standing there not knowing what to do.

* * *

Jess was at a bar in Hartford downing his third beer when his cell vibrated. He took it out and read the message from Charlotte. _Stop being a stroppy teenager! The world is not against you, Jess. I'm getting sick of you always blowing up like this when things don't go your way. Maybe there was a reason your mom didn't tell you after all..._ He just snorted and shook his head, putting his cell way. "Can I get another?" He asked the bartender.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" The bartender said, looking at him dubiously.

"I'm sorry, are you here to serve or to tell me what to do?" Jess snapped.

The bartender put his hands up and got him another beer, which Jess proceeded to drink.

"Bad day?" A voice said.

Jess glanced to his side and saw a girl with long wavy brown hair sat next to him. "You could say that." He grumbled.

"Me too." She sighed. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really." He mumbled.

"Fair enough." She shrugged. She watched as he downed his beer and ordered another one. "You should probably slow down a bit..." She said.

"What, is everyone trying to tell me what to do now?" He snapped.

The girl put her hands up. "Sorry. Drink away." She said.

"Thanks." Jess said gruffly.

"I'm Molly." She smiled.

"Jess." He said.

Molly watched him as he went to order another one beer. "Ok, why don't you come to mine for a bit?" She said.

Jess frowned at her. "Why?"

"Because if I leave you here and you pass out, I will feel responsible." She said. "Come on, I only live round the corner." She said. "Unless, you have someone to go back to...?" She said.

Jess thought back to the text he'd received from Charlotte a while ago. "No." He said. "No one special."

"Come with me then. We can commiserate our bad days together." She smirked.

Jess glanced at her and sighed. "Yeah sure, whatever." He said.

* * *

Molly and Jess came bursting into her apartment kissing. "Well...this wasn't exactly what I'd planned..." She smirked. "I was going to offer you some coffee or water."

Jess smirked. "This is better."

"Do you want to have something to drink or...do you maybe want to see the bedroom?" She asked.

Jess hesitated for a moment before kissing her again. "I think you should show me your bedroom..."

"This way then." She grinned grabbing his hand and leading him through to her bedroom. "Now I have to say this isn't what I'm like normally. I don't really meet guys and just hook up with them..." She admitted.

"I feel special." He smirked.

Molly smirked and started kissing her again, slowly pulling him down onto the bed. Suddenly Jess' cell vibrated, causing him to groan. "Leave it." She said.

Jess hesitated but went back to kissing her, slowing starting to unbutton her top when his cell vibrated again. He groaned but sat up and pulled out his cell and opened his messages.

 _Look, I'm not sorry about what I said before in the flat but I am sorry about the last text. I didn't mean it. I was angry. I get why you're angry and upset but you have to believe me when I tell you I didn't know. I would never keep anything like that from you. I love you, Jess. I'm sorry. xx_

 _Please just come home, Jess. I'm getting worried now. Please just come home so we can talk. xxx_

"What's the problem? Come on." Molly grinned pulling him back down and kissing him again, her hands moving down to his trousers. He suddenly realised what he was doing though and pushed her off.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't do this." He said suddenly feeling the guilt wash over him.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked confused.

"No. No..uh..you didn't do anything. I did." Jess said rubbing his hands over his face. "I need to go. I'm sorry."

"What? Jess?" Molly said confused sitting up.

"I just need to go. Sorry." He mumbled and rushed out the room and out of the apartment.

* * *

Charlotte woke up the following morning early. She looked to her side and frowned when she realised Jess' side hadn't been slept in. She had tried to stay up as late as she could but she must have fallen asleep. She checked her cell but found no messages. She got up and got dressed. She then went to give Jack his nightly feed and then got him ready to go out. She was worried now. She got Jack in her car and she drove to Stars Hollow and immediately went to the diner. She went in and saw Luke behind the counter. "Luke, have you seen Jess?" She asked desperately.

"Not today, no." He said.

"Did you see him last night?" She asked hopefully.

"No, sorry. He came and shouted at me about Liz and the baby and then he left. I haven't seen him since." He said, frowning. "Is everything ok?"

Charlotte bit her lip, trying to keep back tears. "He didn't come home last night. We got into a fight and he stormed out saying he wanted to get wasted." She admitted. "I tried texting him but he hasn't replied. I'm getting worried now."

Luke frowned, getting a bit worried. "Well...maybe he went to a friend's?" He said.

"Maybe." Charlotte said quietly. "I just...what if something's happened? What if he did go get wasted and he passed out somewhere?"

"I'm sure he's ok." Luke assured her. "Try not to worry too much. I'm sure he'll turn up, all ashamed and sorry."

"I really hope so." Charlotte said. "But at the moment I don't know if I want to hug him or slap him."

"I'm sure he's fine. He probably just needed some space." Luke said. "You want some coffee?"

"No. Thanks." She sighed. "I think I might just go home and wait for him."

"Ok." Luke said.

"Thanks Luke." She sighed before leaving.

* * *

After driving round Stars Hollow for a bit and even checking to see if Lane and Zach had seen Jess, she drove home. She carried Jack up to the apartment and went inside. She was surprised to see Jess sat on the couch, looking awful.

"Well you look like crap." She said.

"I feel crap." He said quietly.

Charlotte just shook her head and took Jack into his nursery. She didn't want him to hear any shouting if there was going to be some. She then went back into the living room where Jess was drinking a glass of water. "So are you going to tell me where you were last night?"

"I slept at the diner flat." He admitted.

"The diner?" Charlotte frowned. "But Luke said he hadn't seen you..."

"He didn't. I snuck in after he'd locked up and snuck out the back in the morning. He didn't know." Jess said.

"So that's where you went then after here? You didn't get wasted?" She said.

"No, I did." He said. "I went to a bar first."

"Hence the water." She sighed, gesturing to the glass.

"Yeah..." Jess said quietly.

Charlotte shook her head. "You didn't think to just text me to let me know you were ok? I was worried sick, Jess!"

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"Sorry? Jess, I thought something had happened to you! I thought you'd passed out somewhere!" She exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." He repeated.

"Sure." She sighed. "Well...you're here now. I should go call Luke. Let him know you're ok."

"No wait." Jess said.

"What?"

"I...I need to tell you something." He said, rubbing his hands over his face.

"What?" She asked.

"Something happened...after I was at the bar." Jess admitted. "I...I just want you to know I was really drunk and I was angry. But I love you so much, Charlotte..."

"You're scaring me now..." Charlotte said.

"I...I met this girl..." He admitted.

"Oh god..." She said, collapsing down onto the couch.

"I'm sorry. I was angry and drunk and it was a stupid, stupid mistake." Jess said, his voice shaking.

"Please don't tell me you slept with her." Charlotte managed to get out.

"No! We just...we kissed and...and made out a bit. But I stopped her before it got that far! Because I realised how much I loved you!" Jess told her.

"That's meant to make me feel better?" She said incredulously.

"No! Of course not! But it was a stupid mistake, Charlotte! Please believe me!" He said desperately, going over to the other couch and reaching for her hands.

"Get off me!" Charlotte said, trembling.

"Charlotte please!" Jess said, fighting back tears. "I love you! It meant nothing!"

"Get out." She said.

"Charlotte please! Can't we talk about this?"

"GET OUT!" She shouted.

"I love you!" Jess said desperately.

"I mean it, Jess! GET OUT! I can't even look at you right now! Get out!" She shouted, tears rolling down her face.

Jess reluctantly got up. "Charlie..." He tried.

"Jess!"

"I...I'm sorry." Jess said quietly before reluctantly leaving.

Charlotte felt herself shaking and when she heard the door shut behind Jess, she broke down. She couldn't believe it. Jess had cheated. Jess had done a lot of things but she never would have thought he would do this. She was devastated. Utterly devastated. And she didn't know what to do.

 ***Hides behind a big rock* :s I hope you don't hate me! :P I hope you liked the chapter! Please let me know what you think! I love reading what you think so thanks again for all your support! :)**


	93. Chapter 93

**I know my last chapter has divided readers but I have a really good idea as to where to take this storyline so I really hope you stay with me. :) I'm actually really excited about where this is going to go so I hope you enjoy it too. :) Thank you for all your support for the last chapter as well! I really appreciate it! :)**

Chapter 90

Charlotte sat on the couch for a few minutes, just feeling numb, when she suddenly jumped into action. She went to the bedroom and grabbed a bag and stuffed a load of her clothes in it and some other small things. She then went into Jack's nursery and packed a bag for him as well. She then carefully picked him up and put him in his baby carrier as he was still asleep. "We're going on a trip to Grandma's." She whispered to him.

She then grabbed her bags and the baby carrier and she left the apartment, only to find Jess sat on the ground outside. "Leave me alone." She said as he jumped up.

"You're leaving?" He said worried. "Please, Charlotte, we can talk about this!" He begged.

"No, we really can't." She said, going to walk downstairs but Jess blocked the way. "Get out of my way!" She snapped.

"Please Charlotte! I'm begging you! We can get through this." Jess said desperately.

"You're delusional." Charlotte said. "Do you know what I was doing while you were playing tonsil tennis with that other girl? I was worried sick, hoping my husband hadn't passed out somewhere!"

"I didn't think you'd care! That first text you sent me made that clear! I was angry and thought you hated me!" He exclaimed.

"Oh please! Don't play the pity party! You're the one who cheated on me!" She snapped, causing Jack to start crying. "See what you did now!" She snapped, trying to comfort Jack and send him back to sleep.

"I'm sorry! What I did was a stupid mistake. We were kissing in the bedroom and then I got your other texts and I realised what I was doing and that I loved you! So I stopped and left!" Jess exclaimed.

"Oh so if I hadn't have texted you, you would have gone further?" Charlotte exclaimed, blinking back tears.

"No! Of course not! Charlotte, I was angry! It was stupid!" Jess said.

"Well then you seriously have issues! If you go and cheat whenever you're angry, you really need some help!" She snapped. "I need to go. I need to get away from you!" She shook her head.

"Well where are you going?" He asked.

"Back home." She said.

"This is your home!"

"Not anymore." She said.

"You can't just take Jack! You can't keep him from me!" Jess said.

"You should have thought about that before." She snapped. "Now get out of my way!" She said pushing past him. "And stay away! I mean it, Jess!" She snapped, going downstairs.

* * *

Lorelai was doing some paper work at home when she heard the doorbell. She frowned, not expecting Luke back until later, and went to answer it. She opened the door and was surprised to see Charlotte and Jack, with bags. "Charlotte?"

"Can we stay here for a bit?" She asked tremulously.

"Of course! What's wrong? Is Jess ok?" She asked, having heard from Luke that he hadn't returned home last night.

"Oh yeah, he's ok alright." She said bitterly, following her through to the living room. "Can I put Jack down upstairs?" She sniffed.

"Of course. But what's happened?" Lorelai asked worried.

"I'll tell you everything but I need to get Jack down first. Please." Charlotte said quietly.

"Ok." Lorelai said softly, watching her daughter go upstairs. After a few minutes, she returned. "Hey.." She said softly.

"Hey." Charlotte said quietly.

"What's happened?" She asked.

"Jess...He...He..." She said her voice shaking.

"Hey, come sit down." Lorelai said softly.

"He..he kissed another girl." Charlotte finally said.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked.

"Last night.." Charlotte said tremulously. "We had a fight and he stormed out. I thought he was just going to get drunk but...he said he met a girl at the bar. He said he was angry and it was a stupid mistake but...but he kissed someone mom! He would have done more too, if I hadn't texted him. He so much as admitted it! He cheated on me, mom!" She said breaking down on her mom's shoulder.

"Oh hon..." Lorelai said softly, hugging her daughter close. "So...you left him?" She asked cautiously.

"I couldn't even look at him. I had to get out. Jack and I can stay here, can't we? I'm sorry we didn't give much notice." She rambled.

"Hey, don't even apologise. Of course you can stay here." She assured her.

"I don't know what to do, mom." Charlotte admitted, crying. "He's ruined everything. I don't know what to do!" She cried.

"Oh sweets..." Lorelai said softly, holding her close, rubbing her back comfortingly.

* * *

Lorelai heard the front door open later and quietly walked through from the kitchen. "Hey.." She sighed when she saw Luke.

"I had Caesar close when I got your message. How is she?" He asked concerned.

"Not good." Lorelai sighed. "She's just having a nap. She's exhausted." She said.

"I can't believe this has happened. I never thought Jess would...I always thought the two of them were so strong. They've gone through so much together." Luke said.

"Yeah well...it's happened." Lorelai said crossing her arms across her chest.

Luke sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. "I should go check on Jess." He said.

"Why?" She frowned.

"To see if he's ok." Luke said.

"I'm sure he is! He's probably off kissing another girl!" Lorelai said angrily.

"Lorelai..."

"Why do you even care? He cheated on Charlotte! Don't you care about her?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Of course I care about Charlotte!" Luke exclaimed. "But Jess is my family as well. I can't just abandon him!"

"Yes you can! He's a jerk and he's hurt my daughter!" Lorelai said angrily.

"Mom..." A voice said quietly.

They both turned to see Charlotte standing in the hallway. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Lorelai assured her.

"How are you doing?" Luke asked softly.

Charlotte just shrugged. "Have you seen Jess?" She asked quietly.

"No.." Luke said. "I..uh..I was going to go now." He said hesitantly.

"I was just telling him he shouldn't." Lorelai said glaring at Luke.

"No...he should go." Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlotte..." Lorelai said.

"I don't want this causing arguments between you two. Jess is Luke's family. He should go." Charlotte said quietly.

"It's not because I'm on his side." Luke said gruffly. "He's an idiot. He shouldn't have done what he did. I'm sorry."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "I know, Luke." She said softly. "Go. I'm not judging you."

Luke sighed but nodded. "I'll see you later?" He said to Lorelai.

"Sure, whatever." She said.

He sighed, took one last look at Charlotte and then left.

* * *

Jess rushed to the door when there was a knock on it. Even though he knew Charlotte had keys and would use those if she decided to come back, he couldn't help but hope she'd changed her mind. Although he didn't blame her. He opened the door and was slightly surprised to see Luke. "Hey.." He said quietly.

"Hey.." Luke said. He sighed as he watched Jess sit down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Why did you do it, Jess?"

"I don't know." Jess said honestly. "Because I'm a jerk. Because I was angry and I was fighting with Charlotte. I don't know, I was stupid and now I've ruined everything!" He said quietly. "Charlotte won't even answer my calls."

"Can you blame her?" Luke said.

"No." Jess said. "I just...I can't believe I did this. She's going to divorce me and I'll never see her or Jack again."

"She wouldn't keep Jack from you, you know that." Luke reassured him.

"She implied she would." Jess said. "Not that I can blame her."

"She was probably just angry. You can't blame her for that. People say things in the spur of the moment but trust me, Charlotte wouldn't keep your kid from you." He said.

Jess just shrugged. "He's probably better off without me anyway. I'm a screw up. I've always been a screw up. I'm messed up!" He mumbled.

"You're not messed up." Luke said. "You've...just had to deal a lot in your life..." He sighed.

"So that gives me the right to take it out on Charlotte?" Jess exclaimed. "Every time my mom comes up, we fight! Last time, I was so angry I pushed her, now I've cheated! I'm messed up!"

"Jess..."

"Why are you even here? You should hate me! You should be shouting at me, not trying to make me feel better!" Jess exclaimed.

"Look, I don't agree with what you did at all. You were an idiot." Luke said. "But you're still my family, Jess. And family's always there for each other."

"Even when I say I hate you?" Jess said awkwardly, glancing at his uncle.

"You were...angry." Luke said.

"I seem to get like that a lot. I...I didn't mean it." He sighed.

"I know." Luke said.

He glanced at him. "How is she?" He asked quietly.

"Not good." He couldn't lie.

"I can't believe I've messed everything up. I've thrown away the one person who actually means anything to me! I love her, Luke. She's the love of my life and I've ruined everything! I've lost her and I don't even want to know what Jack will think of me! I've screwed up so bad, Luke." Jess said, his voice breaking.

"Hey.." Luke said softly, going to sit beside him.

"If I would take it back, I would. But I can't. It's the biggest regret of my life. You have to believe that. I never meant to hurt Charlotte like that. I really didn't." He said, his voice hitching.

"I know." Luke sighed.

"I've ruined everything. Everything!" Jess said finally letting his emotions get the better of him.

Luke sighed and pulled him in for a hug. He let his nephew just let it out. He needed it.

* * *

Charlotte woke the following morning. For a moment she'd forgotten everything that had happened but then it soon came back to her. She heard movement in the kitchen so she slowly got up and walked in to find Luke cooking. "Hey.." She said.

"Oh hey...Sorry, did I wake you up?" He asked.

"No." Charlotte said.

"I'm making pancakes." Luke said. "Thought you might need them."

Charlotte gave him a small smile. "Thanks Luke." She said softly. She sat down at the table and let out a big breath. She glanced at Luke. "So...did you see him?" She asked.

"Yeah.." He said awkwardly. Charlotte just nodded. He looked at her and sighed. "Look, I'm not defending him ok? I want you to know that. What he did was stupid and wrong and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't forgive him." He said.

"But?" She said.

"But..." He conceded. "He knows he's messed up. He doesn't blame you for hating him. He's not doing so good. I've not seen him like this before."

"Am I meant to feel sorry for him?" She asked.

"No. No! Of course not!" He said quickly. He sighed. "I'm not defending what he did."

Charlotte sighed. "I know. Sorry." She said quietly.

"So...pancake?" Luke asked awkwardly.

Charlotte smiled softly. "Yeah. Please." She said.

"Look who's woken up." Lorelai smiled, carrying Jack in.

"Hey you.." Charlotte smiled softly, taking Jack from him.

"I've fed him, I hope you don't mind." She said.

"Not at all. Thanks mom." She said.

"So what's your plans for today?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"Eating Luke's pancakes." Charlotte joked. She sighed when her mom looked at her concern. "I guess I need to talk to Jess..."

"Really?" She said surprised. "Isn't that a bit soon?"

Charlotte shrugged. "It has to happen at some point."

"Well...ok." Lorelai said. "You know you and Jack can stay here for as long as you want right?"

"I know." Charlotte said. "Thanks." She said softly.

"Just don't try and let him talk you round..." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai..." Luke said.

"What? I don't want Jess to think he can win her back! He's a jerk!" She exclaimed.

"Mom.." Charlotte sighed.

"Charlotte, he hurt you! You can't expect me to sing his praises!" Lorelai said.

"No." Charlotte said. "But he's still the father of my kid."

"Well I'd say keep Jack well away from that punk." She mumbled.

"What, so if dad did something stupid, you would keep us away from him? Do you think that would have been the best thing to do?" Charlotte said.

"That's different..."

"And do you think Anna was right to keep April from Luke?" Charlotte said.

"That's different too! Luke didn't do anything wrong!" Lorelai defended herself.

Charlotte sighed. "I hate Jess for what he did but he's still Jack's dad. And he deserves to see his son."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that." Luke said.

"Well, whatever. It's your choice I guess." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah it is." Charlotte said. "I'm going to get changed."

"You haven't eaten." Lorelai said.

"Suddenly, I'm not really in the mood." She said.

* * *

Once dressed, she walked through to the living room to find her mom with Jack. "Hey..I'm going to get going. You ready for a little outing, little guy?" She smiled down at her son.

"You're taking Jack?" Lorelai asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked taking him from her, and heading for the door.

Lorelai sighed. "Charlotte wait." She said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Mom..."

"No, let me get this out. I hate that Jess did this to you and I hate he hurt you like this. You can't stop me from hating him. I wouldn't be a good mom if I didn't. But I'm sorry I went on about it. It's your and Jess' business, not mine." She said. "I'm sorry."

Charlotte sighed. "No, it's ok. I just...it's hard. I don't know exactly what I'm going to say but I need to sort this out. I can't just hide away all day."

"I get that." Lorelai sighed.

"I'll see you later." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, see you later..." Lorelai said.

Charlotte headed out and walked towards the square. She was going to grab a coffee from Luke's before she headed to Hartford. She seriously needed coffee for this. As she was walking towards Luke's, she suddenly saw a figure stood by the gazebo. She looked over and realised it was Jess. She stood and looked at him for a moment. "I guess there's no time like the present." She sighed. She slowly walked over to him. "Hi.." She said.

"Hi.." He said.

"I think we need to talk." She said. "Should we sit?" She said gesturing to the gazebo.

"Ok." Jess said quietly following her. He glanced at Jack in her arms. "How's he been?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's ok." Charlotte said. "Here." She said holding him out to him.

"Really?" Jess said surprised.

"Jess, you're his dad. I'd never keep him from you. If you didn't know that, you really didn't know me at all." She said quietly.

"Thanks." He said hesitantly, taking his son. He couldn't help but smile slightly as Jack smiled and rambled at him. "Hey little man..." He said softly, kissing the top of his head. He glanced at Charlotte. "I..."

"Don't." Charlotte shook his head. "Please don't make this any harder for me. Please just let me do the talking."

"Ok." He said nervously.

"I think we should separate." She said quietly.

"Charlotte..." Jess tried.

"Please...just let me..." She said, blinking back some tears. "This isn't working, Jess. Every time you get angry, you go and do something stupid. It's not fair."

Jess sighed. "I know."

"I think you need to sort out your anger issues and I think you need to do that by yourself." She said. "This isn't healthy for us. For our relationship."

"Yeah.." Jess said quietly, glancing down at Jack sadly. "About the kiss..."

"I don't really want to talk about that..." Charlotte said quietly.

"I need you to know that it's the biggest regret of my life. I need you to know that I love you. I've always only loved you." He said.

"Sure, and you decide to show me that by cheating on me." She snapped, crossing her arms against his chest. She sighed. "Look, this isn't about that. Well it is. I hate you for what you did. But this has been going on for too long. We've had some great times together but the bad times we've had to go through, they've been really bad. And that's down to your unrelenting anger with your mom! You need to get your head sorted, Jess."

"I know." Jess admitted. He glanced at her. "So...we're separating?" He said sadly. He couldn't really have expected anything else.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"You're not divorcing me?" He asked cautiously, slightly surprised.

"I think we just need some time apart. Some serious time apart. Then...we'll see." Charlotte said quietly. She took hold of Jack. "We'll come up with a joint custody arrangement ok? I'll make sure you see Jack." She said.

"Thank you." He said gratefully. He watched her get up and go and walk away. "Charlotte?"

"Yeah?" She sighed, turning around.

"For what it's worth, I know you probably won't believe me and I don't exactly blame you, but I am genuinely, deeply sorry. I really am." Jess said sincerely.

"I know." She sighed. "Bye Jess."

"Bye." Jess said quietly, watching her walk away. He didn't know how it had gotten here. Well he did but he never expected it to. He needed to sort it. He would do anything to show Charlotte how much he loves her and show her that he wants to sort this out. He needed to show her he was serious about making it up to her.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think so thank you! :)**


	94. Chapter 94

**Thank you for your continued support! :) I hope you stay with me on this! :)**

Chapter 91

A week had passed and Jess was sat in the gazebo reading. He'd spent a lot of time in Stars Hollow since the separation, not because he was being desperate, just because he felt closer to Charlotte there. And it felt wrong being in the flat in Hartford by himself. He didn't really like it. He looked up to see Lorelai walking towards Luke's. He looked back down at his book when she looked over at him. He knew she wasn't exactly his number one fan at the moment so he was trying to stay out of her way. He sighed. He knew what he did had caused tension between Luke and Lorelai. He'd noticed it in Luke and he felt bad about it.

Just then he felt someone sit down next to him. "Fancy some company?" A familiar voice said.

Jess turned and gave Lane a small smile. "Hey." He said.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"Shouldn't you be asking Charlotte that?" Jess said.

"Well I'm asking you." She smiled.

"I'm ok." He said. He glanced at her. "I wasn't sure if you'd even be talking to me. I mean Charlotte must have told you what I did." He said.

"She did." Lane nodded. "The whole town knows actually." She said hesitantly.

"Great." Jess said dryly.

"Although I think Luke's put the frighteners on everyone so that they don't gossip about it." Lane said smirking slightly.

Jess smirked slightly at that. "Sounds like Luke." He looked at her. "Ok so if you know what I did, why are you even bothering with me?" He asked.

"Look, I don't agree with what you did...but I'm friends with you as well as Charlotte. It wouldn't be fair to take sides and Charlotte wouldn't want me to either." She said.

"But..."

"Hey, you were the only one who kept me sane that first year Rory and Charlotte went off to Yale. I owe you!" She joked.

Jess chuckled slightly. "Well...you're welcome, I guess."

Lane grinned. "Look, the band are having a practice later. Why don't you come along and jam with us for a bit?" She suggested. "It's been a while since you've played with us."

Jess thought for a moment. "Yeah ok. Although I can't stay for long. I've got Jack tonight." He said. "But there is a song I've been working on and was wondering how it would sound with the band."

"Great! See you about 4ish?" She said.

"Sounds good." He nodded.

"I better go. I'm on the lunch shift at the diner. Want to come for some food?" She asked.

"No I've got an...I've got to be somewhere in a bit. I'll just meet you at yours later." He said.

"Ok." She smiled. "See you then!" She said getting up.

"Lane?"

"Yeah?" She said turning round.

"Thanks." Jess said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lorelai entered Luke's and went up to the counter. "Hey." She sighed, sitting down.

"Hey." Luke said. "What's up?"

"He's sat out there again." She said.

"Who?"

"Who do you think? Jess! He's been sat in the gazebo every day this week!" She exclaimed.

"Ok...so?" Luke said confused.

"So? Why does he keep hanging around here? I'll tell you why! It's because he thinks he can win Charlotte round!" She said frustrated.

"Lorelai..."

"God forbid he actually stays in Hartford and does some work so he can provide for his kid. Or does he not care about Jack? Charlotte's the one buying everything for Jack. What does Jess do?" She exclaimed.

"That's not fair." Luke said.

"Fair? Luke, he cheated on my daughter! I'm sorry if I'm not exactly singing his praises!" She snapped.

"Look, it's between Charlotte and Jess. We should stay out of it." Luke said.

Lorelai snorted. "Right."

"And for your information, Jess has been working. He's just about to have his second book published." Luke said. "I'll get your food."

"Luke..." Lorelai called after him. She sighed when he just disappeared into the kitchen. She glanced at him when he brought the food out to her. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Forget it." Luke said.

"It's just you have to understand that he hurt my daughter..."

"You know what, I need to go clear some tables. Will you be back for dinner tonight?"

"Uh..yeah." Lorelai said.

"Ok. I'll see you then." He said, going off to take some orders.

"Oh..yeah, ok..." She said.

* * *

Jess stood outside a building in Hartford, looking up at it. He took a deep breath before going inside. He went up in the lift to the right floor and hesitated outside the door. He slowly opened it and went inside. He looked round and saw a few people sat in the waiting room and there was a desk infront of him, supposedly where they're meant to check in. He took one step towards it before having second doubts and turning and leaving the room. However, he bumped into someone when he was living and he cringed when he heard a familiar voice.

"Jess?"

He slowly turned round to see Chris standing there. "Hi.." He said awkwardly.

"I didn't know you were..uh...seeing a..." He said gesturing the waiting room.

"I'm not. Well I'm supposed to be. But..." Jess said, sighing. "I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Your first appointment?" Chris asked understanding.

"Yeah." Jess said awkwardly, glancing at the floor.

"Come on, let's go sit down." He said.

"Oh..uh..I can't...I have to..." Jess said gesturing to the lift.

"Look, Jess, you're obviously here for a reason. I know it's hard the first time. It took me two weeks to finally pluck up courage to go through with it." He said.

"You see someone?" Jess asked slightly surprised.

"Coming up to two years." Chris nodded. "Ever since the vow renewal and Charlotte stopped talking to me." He admitted. He saw Jess look awkward when Charlotte was mentioned. "Come on, let's go sit." He said. "I won't force you to go in if you don't want to."

Jess sighed but just nodded. He followed him in and watched as Chris signed himself in and then came and sit next to him. "Did Charlotte tell you about...us?" He asked hesitantly, wondering why he was being so nice to him.

"She told me you're taking some time apart. She didn't say anything specific." Chris said cautiously. "But seeing as you're here, I'm assuming it must be pretty serious."

"Well let's put it like this, if you knew the real reason you'd be sending me away again and this time I wouldn't blame you." Jess said.

"Well then...I think it's best I don't know then." He said.

"I'm trying to sort myself out. I need to sort myself out. I can't keep putting Charlotte through this. And I want to be a good dad. I want Jack to be proud of me." Jess admitted.

"Well from what I've heard, you're pretty good dad already." Chris said.

Jess glanced at him. "Has it helped you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Seeing a therapist?" Chris said.

"Yeah.."

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was hard at first...but it helped me reassess my life and made me realise who was really important to me." He admitted.

"Rory and Charlotte." Jess guessed.

"And Gigi." He nodded.

Jess nodded.

"Oh that's me." Chris said pointing to his name which had appeared on the screen. He glanced at Jess. "The first time is always going to be hard."

"I'm just not good at this. The emotions stuff..."

"But you're here." He pointed out. "It shows you want to try."

"I need to do this. For Charlotte and for Jack." Jess sighed.

"Well then...you know what you have to do." He said. "I need to go. Good luck yeah?"

"Hey..uh..Chris?" Jess said. "Can you..uh..not mention this to Charlotte?"

"Of course not." He said. He glanced at him. "Look, you came. There must be a reason why. See it through and you might actually be surprised."

Jess just nodded and watched him disappear down the hallway. He took a deep breath and slowly walked up the the desk.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist smiled kindly.

"Yeah..I..uh..I have an appointment at 12. Sorry I'm a bit late..." Jess said awkwardly.

"No problem! She's ready now. Just head down that hallway and it's the second door on the left." She smiled.

"Ok. Thanks." He said. He slowly made his way down the hallway. He stopped outside the second door. He hesitated before knocking. Hearing someone tell him to go in, he opened it slowly and went in. He saw a woman sat in a chair. "Hi.." He said awkwardly. "Uh..sorry I'm late..."

"No problem at all. The first appointment is always the most daunting. I'm just glad you turned up." She smiled. "I'm Melissa. You're...Jess, right?" She asked glancing down at her notes.

"Yeah." Jess said standing there awkwardly.

"Well come, take a seat, relax." She smiled.

"Relax...yeah, that's funny." Jess said nervously but he went and sat down on the couch that was in the room.

"I know it's daunting." Melissa said. "But you're here, that's the most important thing. You can talk as much or as little as you want. It's totally up to you. I won't judge you either way. I know some people think going to see a therapist or counsellor is somehow like a failure but I can assure you it's not. It's very common for people to come here and just talk to someone neutral and someone who doesn't know them."

"You should be glad you don't know me." Jess mumbled.

"Why would you say that?" Melissa asked.

Jess shrugged. "I'm messed up."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is. I've screwed up so many times in my life already. I've hurt so many people." He mumbled.

Melissa looked at him. "Is this a reason why you came?" She asked.

Jess glanced up at her. "This is my last option." He admitted. "I need to sort my head out. I get so angry sometimes and I just can't help it! No wonder Charlotte kicked me to the curb!" He said.

"Charlotte?" Melissa asked.

Jess sighed. "My wife." He said quietly. "Well my estranged wife now..."

"You've separated?" She asked.

"Yeah. A week ago. I did something stupid." Jess said quietly. He glanced up at her. "I..uh..I kissed someone else." He admitted.

"I see..." Melissa said.

"See, now you think I'm a messed up jerk." Jess mumbled.

"We never judge anyone here. We just want to help." Melissa assured him. "Was this to do with your anger, do you think?"

"I'd had a fight with my uncle and then I picked a fight with Charlotte. I was angry and wanted to take it out on someone and Charlotte was there." He said ashamed.

"And why were you so angry? What caused it?"

"My mom..uh..we've never been very close. She shipped me off to my uncle's when I was 17 because she couldn't be bothered with me." He said. "I..uh..I thought we were ok. We'd talked about a year ago and I gave her away at her wedding. But then...she rings me up and tells me I have a sister."

"And she hadn't told you?" Melissa guessed.

"Yeah." Jess grunted.

"Tell me about your mom." She said.

"Why?"

"Because it seems like your anger is coming from your resentment towards her. Or am I wrong?" She said.

Jess was quiet for a moment. "She had me young and couldn't cope. Not like Lorelai."

"Lorelai?"

"Charlotte's mom. She had Charlotte and Rory, Charlotte's twin sister, when she was 16. She did everything for them. They were her number one priority." He said. "I was never my mum's number one priority. That was booze and drugs and whoever she was sleeping with at the time." He said bitterly. He glanced at Melissa. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"No, this is good. It's good you're letting it out. Are you feeling better talking about it?" She asked.

Jess glanced at her and for the first time, he realised he was. He was feeling more relaxed talking to her. It was good talking to someone who didn't know him and wasn't judging him. "Yeah." He admitted.

Melissa smiled kindly. "Have you talked to your mom about how she's made you feel?"

Jess snorted. "She doesn't care. She thinks everything's perfect. She's got the perfect husband and now a daughter. She won't care what I have to say."

"Well have you tried talking to her about this?"

"No." He mumbled.

"Well then how do you know how she will react?" She pointed out.

"Because I know Liz." Jess said. "I hate this! I get so angry even thinking about her and then I take it out on the people around me, like Charlotte. It's happened before!"

"You mean before the fight you had a week ago?"

"I've taken it out on Charlotte before. Something I'm really not proud of." Jess admitted ashamed. "I hate that I'm like this. I want my son to be proud of me."

"You have a son?" She asked.

"Yeah..uh..he's nearly 7 months. He's great. He's called Jack." Jess said, smiling slightly thinking about his son.

"That's nice." Melissa smiled.

"I don't want to be like this anymore. This resentment I have, I want it gone. But I just don't know how to deal with it! It's eating me up inside and I don't want to be like this!" Jess exclaimed.

"Ok. Well to deal with anger, you need to get to the cause of why you're so angry." Melissa explained. "In which case, your mom."

"She used to leave me in the apartment alone or with strange men and she'd think that was normal. She'd spend all our money on booze and drugs so we'd have no food to eat. I hate school but I actually went because it meant I had at least one hot meal a day." Jess said quietly. "I'd then come back from school and see my mom having sex with random men in the living room. I mean who does that? Who has sex with men when she knows her son could walk in at any moment? That was a regular occurrence. It was either that or I would walk in on my mom getting a beating. I'd try to pull them off but then they would always turn on me." He continued. "I begged her so many times to leave these men but she always blamed me when things went wrong. She'd pick them over me every time." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Melissa said sympathetically.

Jess glanced up at her. "I've not actually told anyone this before." He admitted.

"Not even Charlotte?"

"I've told her the odd thing but nothing in detail." He said.

"And what about your uncle? You mentioned you were sent to live with him when you were 17? What's your relationship with him?" She asked.

"He's...great." Jess admitted. "I gave him a hard time when I first came. I thought the world was against me and I came to this town with crazy people in it and I was angry. I wound him up all the time. But...I soon realised he just wanted to help. It was the first good thing my mom actually ever did for me, sending me to Stars Hollow. Luke actually cared. It took me a while to realise that but he did. And then I met Charlotte."

"And everything changed?" Melissa smiled.

Jess blushed slightly. "Yeah." He admitted. He sighed. "But everything's messed up now. I know Luke's disappointed in me and I know it's causing problems between him and Lorelai." He said.

"Him and Lorelai?"

"Yeah, they're married." Jess said.

"Oh!" Melissa said surprised.

Jess smirked slightly. "Yeah, it's a bit...complicated."

Melissa glanced at her watch. "I'm afraid time's up for today." She said.

"Already?" He said surprised. It had gone so quickly.

"I'm afraid so." Melissa said. "But I can book you in for another appointment next week? If that's what you want?"

Jess was quiet for a moment and glanced at her before he slowly nodded. "Yeah. Ok."

"Good." Melissa smiled. "I'll book you in for the same time next week then."

"Ok." Jess said.

"In the meantime, really think about talking to your mom. She needs to know how you feel. You can even bring her here one week if you want and we can all talk about things and try and find some solutions." She said.

"I doubt my mom would ever want to come to therapy." Jess snorted.

"Well think about it anyway." She said. "And in the meantime, if you feel yourself getting angry at all, take a bit of time away from people. Take some deep breaths or count slowly to ten. Exercise helps as well."

Jess nodded. "I just want to stop feeling like this."

"I really want to help you, Jess. But you need to help yourself as well. I'll see you next week." She smiled kindly at him.

"Yeah. Thanks." He said gruffly, getting up and leaving. Once he'd left the room, he let out a huge breath. That was something he never thought he'd do.

* * *

Charlotte walked up to Lane's with Jack and immediately heard music coming from the house. She smiled as she stood by the door and listened. She was surprised to hear that it was Jess who was singing.

 _I'm not a perfect person_  
 _There's many thing I wish I didn't do_  
 _But I continue learning_  
 _I never meant to do those things to you_  
 _And so I have to say before I go_  
 _That I just want you to know_

 _I've found a reason for me_  
 _To change who I used to be_  
 _A reason to start over new_  
 _And the reason is you_

Charlotte could hear the emotion in Jess' voice as he sang and she felt a lump in her throat.

 _I'm sorry that I hurt you_  
 _It's something I must live with everyday_  
 _And all the pain I put you through_  
 _I wish I could take it all away_  
 _And be the one who catches all your tears_  
 _That's why I need you to hear_

 _I've found a reason for me_  
 _To change who I used to be_  
 _A reason to start over new_  
 _And the reason is you_

 _And the reason is you_  
 _And the reason is you_  
 _And the reason is you_

Charlotte felt tears falling down her face so she squeezed her eyes shut tightly to try and keep them in.

 _I'm not a perfect person_  
 _I never meant to do those things to you_  
 _And so I have to say before I go_  
 _That I just want you to know_

 _I've found a reason for me_  
 _To change who I used to be_  
 _A reason to start over new_  
 _And the reason is you_

 _I've found a reason to show_  
 _A side of me you didn't know_  
 _A reason for all that I do_  
 _And the reason is you_

Charlotte heard them stop playing and was about to know when she heard Zach start talking.

"Three guesses who that was about." He said.

"Zach!" Lane exclaimed.

"Sorry, it just brought down the mood a bit." Zach said.

"Sorry." Jess said.

"No it's fine. Zach, stop being annoying and help Brian with the tuning of his guitar." Lane sighed. "Are you ok?" She asked Jess.

"I'm fine." Jess said. "Thanks for letting me play with you guys. I should get going though, Charlotte will be bringing Jack soon."

Charlotte wiped her tears away and took that as a cue to knock on the door. She went in with a forced smile when Lane called that the door was open. "Hey." She said.

"Oh hey, did I know I was meeting you here?" Jess said surprised.

"No. Luke mentioned you were here so I thought it'd be easier to just come here." She said. "Hope that's ok."

"Yeah, that's fine.." He said. "Hey Jack!" He gave his son a genuine smile as he picked him up and started bouncing him up and down.

"Hey, that's the first time he's actually quietened down today. He must have been missing his daddy." She smiled softly.

Jess gave her a small smile. "Oh..uh..I have something to give you." He said delving into his bag.

"Oh yeah?" She said.

"Yeah." He said pulling something out. "Now, I know we've agreed to take time apart and I respect that. But I wanted to give you this. You're the reason I started writing in the first place so I wanted you to have a copy of this."

"Your second book." Charlotte said softly. She glanced at him. "It finally got published?"

"Yeah. Got this today in the post." He nodded. "You don't have to read it. It just felt...right...giving it to you."

Charlotte smiled. "Thank you." She said softly. "I'll definitely read this. This is amazing, Jess. I'm so proud of you." She stopped though after that and laughed nervously. "Well..uh..I should get going." She said awkwardly.

"Ok." Jess said just as awkwardly.

"Actually before I go, would it be ok to have Jack during the day tomorrow? I'm going to go see Rory at Yale. I can cancel it if you're busy..." She said.

"No! No that's fine. I'd love to have him." Jess smiled.

"Great. Thanks." She said. She gave him a small smile. "See you."

"Bye." Jess said quietly as he watched her leave.

* * *

Lorelai looked up from the couch and saw Luke walk in. "Hey.." She said hesitantly.

"Hey." He nodded. "Charlotte not here?" He asked.

"In her room. I think's she's doing some illustrations for work." Lorelai said.

He just nodded. "Well I guess I should start dinner." He said.

"Wait..." Lorelai said.

"What?" He sighed.

Lorelai sighed. "I'm sorry ok?"

"About what?" Luke said.

"You know what about." She said quietly. "I can't help feeling resentment towards Jess but I'm sorry I keep going on about it to you. He's your family and I need to respect that."

"He's your family as well now." Luke pointed out.

"I just...having Charlotte break down on me last week...it was awful..." She said.

Luke sighed. "Yeah I can imagine."

"I just...I'm sorry I'm taking it out on you. You're right. I should stay out of it." She said.

"You know, Jess is a good dad. He's there for Jack." Luke said.

"I know." Lorelai conceded.

"You do?" He asked surprised.

"I may hate him for what he did to Charlotte but he's always been a good dad to Jack. From day one. That, I'll give him." Lorelai sighed. "I was angry so I said stuff I didn't mean."

Luke sighed and sat next to her. "He knows he's messed up. He doesn't need you reminding him about it every day as well."

"I know." She sighed. "I just...it's..."

"Hard. I know. You said." He nodded.

"Luke..." She said softly.

"I love you, but Jess is family. I need to be there for him like you need to be there for Charlotte. You need to understand that." He said.

Lorelai nodded. "I do understand that. I'm sorry." She said sincerely.

Luke gave her a small smile. "Ok. Good."

"So...what's for dinner?"

Luke chuckled and got up. "Lasagne."

"Yum! Can I help?" She grinned.

"No." He said.

"Aw come on Luke, please!"

"No."

"But..."

"No." He said. "Stop following me, you're not helping me." He smirked, walking through to the kitchen.

"Well then I will supervise!" She grinned.

"Fine." Luke conceded. "Sit down and don't touch anything."

"So bossy!" She grinned, sitting down at the table.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks again so much for your continued support! :)**


	95. Chapter 95

**Thank you again for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 92

September and October passed quickly and everyone was getting on with their life. Charlotte and Jess were keeping to their agreement and staying apart. However hard it was, the only time they would see each other was when they exchanged Jack. Jess had actually continued his therapy sessions secretly and he was surprised that he was actually getting something out of it. He respected Melissa and he found it easy to talk to her now. However, he still hadn't been able to talk to his mom about his issues yet. Rory was continuing and doing well at Yale and Lorelai was progressing well with her pregnancy with no complications.

Charlotte was sat at Lane's, the two of them on beanbags, bouncing Jack on her lap. "It seems like forever since we've caught up." Charlotte said.

"I know!" Lane said. She glanced at her. "You...you don't mind that I've been hanging with Jess, do you?" She asked hesitantly.

"What? No of course not!" Charlotte said surprised. "Lane, he's your friend too. I wouldn't just expect you to cut all ties with him because of me."

Lane gave her a small smile. "I still feel guilty though. You were technically my friend first." She said.

"Don't. I know Jess enjoys hanging out with you and the band. Maybe it will help him." Charlotte said.

"He does seem different..." Lane said cautiously.

"Yeah?" She said quietly.

"I don't know what it is but he just seems...different. Not as grumpy all the time." Lane said. Charlotte just nodded. Lane sighed. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm ok." Charlotte said.

"Honestly? You and Jess...you've been through a lot. I just...I never thought I'd see you actually not together." She admitted.

"I think we need this." Charlotte said quietly. "He needs this."

Lane glanced at her. "Do you still love him?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course I still love him!" Charlotte said. She sighed. "I just...he hurt me so much when he told me what he did. He's done a lot but that...I never thought he would do." She admitted. "That...kiss...it devastated me. I know it was a stupid mistake and I believe him when he told me it meant nothing but...it still happened. That's the thing! He tells me he loves me but why kiss another girl if he does? I just don't get it! I know he's sorry, I do know that but...I just...I didn't know what to do..."

"I get that." Lane said softly. "I'm sure I'd feel the same if Zach had done what Jess did."

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "I do love Jess. I do miss him." She admitted quietly. "I just think we need this..."

"Yeah I get that." Lane said. "You know you can talk to me right? About anything."

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah I know. Thanks Lane." She said softly. Suddenly her cell rang. "Oh sorry!" She said, taking out her cell. "Oh it's Rory!" She smiled, answering it. "Hey!" She said.

"Oh thank god, you answered!" Rory said.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte frowned, noticing she didn't sound like her normal self.

"It's...It's Grandpa!" She sniffed. "I was in his class and the next thing I knew, he'd collapsed! I don't know what to do! They've brought him to hospital and I'm here now but they've whisked him away. They're trying to get through to Grandma to tell her and I've tried mom but she's not answering. She's not at the inn either!" She rambled quickly. "I don't know what to do, Charlie. I'm scared!"

"Ok, calm down!" Charlotte said softly, getting up. "I'm coming ok? Just hang in there. I'm on my way."

"Ok...Thanks." Rory said quietly.

Charlotte hung up and grabbed her jacket. "Sorry Lane, I have to go. My Grandpa's collapsed or something and Rory's the only one at the hospital. I should go."

"Of course!" Lane said concerned. "Do you want me to call Jess and tell him?"

"Why?" Charlotte said.

"To drive you. You can't drive in this state. Look at you, you're shaking." Lane said softly.

That was when Charlotte realised her hands were shaking. She knew she needed Jess but she just couldn't. "Uh..no..it's ok. I...I'll go and get Luke." She said.

"But..."

"Lane, please. Promise me, you won't tell Jess. He's probably busy anyway. Please." Charlotte said.

"Ok." She sighed. "I promise."

"Thanks." She said. "I should go."

* * *

Luke looked up to see Charlotte rushing into the diner. "Do you know where mom is?" She asked desperately.

"Uh..isn't she at the inn?" He asked.

"No, Rory tried ringing there. She isn't there!"

"Oh wait, I think she said something about a meeting in Hartford or something." Luke said remembering. "Is everything ok?"

"No..." Charlotte said blinking back tears.

"Hey, calm down. What's wrong?" He said softly.

"It's Grandpa. Rory called. He's collapsed in her lecture. She's the only one at the hospital. I need to go there." Charlotte said tremulously.

"Caesar, hold the fort!" Luke shouted.

"Sure thing, boss." Caesar said.

"Come on, I'll drive." Luke said.

"What about mom?" Charlotte asked following him out.

"Ring her and leave a message. She should check her phone after the meeting and I'm sure she'll come then." Luke said.

Charlotte nodded as she got in the truck with Jack. She glanced across at him when he started driving. "He will be ok, won't he?" She said quietly.

Luke glanced at her and gave her a small smile. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Your Grandpa's tough." He said softly.

"It must have been scary for Rory. She would have had to witness it happen..." She said quietly.

"Yeah.." Luke sighed, thinking back to when he'd witnessed his dad collapsing. "Try not to worry too much, not until we know what's happening." He told her.

* * *

Lane walked towards the bridge, knowing Jess hung out there a lot. She was relieved when she spotted him sat there with his laptop typing. "Jess!" She called running up to him.

"Oh hey." He said. He watched as she stood there awkwardly. "Is there something you needed me for?" He asked.

Lane wrung her hands together nervously. "I...I shouldn't be telling you this, I promised Charlotte..."

Jess frowned. "What's going on? Is something wrong with Charlotte? Is it Jack?" He asked suddenly worried.

"No, they're fine." Lane said. "I..."

"Lane, what is it?" Jess said.

"It's Charlotte's Grandpa." Lane said. "I was with Charlotte when Rory called her. He collapsed during a lecture."

"Geez..is he ok?" Jess asked concerned. He knew Charlotte had had a bumpy start with her grandparents but he knew both her and Rory had both grown close to Richard. "How was Charlotte?" He asked.

"I don't know about Richard but Charlotte was in a state. She tried not to show it but she was scared. I think...she could really do with your support at the moment." Lane said cautiously.

"She won't want me there. None of them will want me there." Jess said quietly.

"Jess, forget about everything that's happened ok? Charlotte's upset and I think she could really could with her best friend at the moment. She told me not to tell you but she's just being stubborn, I know her. She needs you, Jess." Lane said. Jess was quiet. "Just...think about it. He's at Hartford Memorial Hospital." She said, before walking away.

* * *

"Rory!" Charlotte exclaimed rushing towards her sister who was sat in the waiting room.

"Charlie!" Rory said relieved to see her.

"How is he?" She asked.

"Uh...well they're doing tests." She said. "Blood tests and another E.K.G. They did an E.K.G. in the ambulance, but I guess they're still trying to determine how much damage was actually caused by the heart attack. But that's definitely what it was. It was a myocardial infarction which is a heart attack. And I guess the E.K.G. tells them how bad the blockage of his arteries is and what degree of coronary-artery disease he has, or C.A.D., as they're calling it because apparently, everything is - what do you call it? An anagram? What's the thing with the letters? Acronym. The C.A.D., C.I.C.U., The E.K.G." She said exhaling deeply. "It was awful, he just fell down."

"Come here." Charlotte said giving her a hug.

Rory then spotted Luke. "Hey Luke." She gave him a small smile.

"Hey." He said softly. "Have they managed to get through to your grandmother?"

"Yeah eventually. She was at a function, I think. But she's on her way now." Rory said. "Did you get through to mom?"

"I left her a message." Charlotte said just as her cell vibrated. She looked at it and let out a relieved breath. "She's on her way."

"Ok good." Rory said.

"How are you doing?" Luke asked.

"Me? I'm ok." She said quietly.

"Rory..."

"I just...want him to get better." Rory said quietly.

"He will. He's in the best place now. The doctors know what they're doing." Luke assured her.

"Yeah..." Rory sighed sitting down with them.

* * *

After a while, Emily finally arrived at the hospital. Lorelai had arrived some time before. Emily spotted them all in the waiting room. "Have you seen him?" She asked.

"Oh, hi mom." Lorelai said.

"Not since he was in the E.R." Rory said.

"Where is he?"

"The doctor came out and said he's in the cath lab, getting an angiogram. He's going to let us know when he's done." Lorelai told her. "Why don't you sit down, have a cup of tea?"

"I don't want a cup of tea, what I want is the most perfunctory level of competence from the people with whom I interact. That apparently is far too much to ask for!" Emily exclaimed.

"Grandma we have snacks." Charlotte tried.

"Yes mom, snacks! We have salty snacks and sweet snacks and sweet/salty hybrid snacks." Lorelai said.

"I mean even at the club, I tell you the young men and women that work there must have a combined I.Q. of a grapefruit. You ask them for a towel and they look at you with the most vacant eyes. I'm telling you I thought the girl at reception was blind the entire first month she worked there, blind but very enthusiastic about the application of eyeliner."

"Sounds pretty." Lorelai said.

"My husband has a heart attack, and how long does it take them to find me? 40 minutes! The nitwit probably got lost between the front desk and the tennis courts." She exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Grandma, that sounds terrible." Rory said softly.

"I mean none of this would have been a problem if I'd been allowed to keep my cell phone. But no, cell phones have been banned allegedly because of noise pollution. Well if that's the reason, they should ban John Abbott. Because I'm telling you every time that man hits a ball, he grunts like a rutting hog!] I mean he's twice as loud as my cell phone. And they won't even let you leave your cell phone on vibrate, it's preposterous! I mean what do they think we're doing, making drug deals?" She continued.

"I doubt that's it." Lorelai said. "Mom, sit down, please." She said softly.

"Here, Grandma. Jack tends to be of some comfort." Charlotte smiled softly handing her Jack.

Emily smiled softly and sighed but sat down and took hold of Jack. "He will be ok, won't he?" She said, suddenly showing her vulnerability.

"Of course he will be. He's tough. He's a Gilmore." Lorelai smiled softly.

Rory suddenly spotted Tristan walk in. "Oh my god, hey!" She said shocked, getting up and going over to him and giving him a hug. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I thought you might need some support." He said.

Rory smiled and gave him a kiss. "Thank you." She said softly. "Come on." She said leading him over to everyone.

"Emily, Lorelai, Luke, Charlotte, I'm so sorry. How are you holding up?" Tristan asked.

"We're holding." Lorelai smiled.

"Oh Tristan, it's so good of you to come." Emily smiled sweetly.

"Is there anything I can do? Could I get you a cup of tea maybe?" He offered.

"Oh I just asked. She doesn't want tea." Lorelai said.

"I would love a cup of tea. That's very kind of you." Emily said causing Lorelai to smirk slightly.

"I'm on a tea hunt, then." Tristan smiled, walking off.

"That's a fine young man, Rory. Very sweet, very considerate." Emily said.

"I like him." Rory smiled.

"He's one of the good ones." Emily said. "And Luke, it's good of you to come." She said surprising him.

"Uh..of course." Luke said.

"At least that hoodlum of an ex of yours hasn't decided to come, Charlotte. I bet you're glad." Emily said.

"We're just separated, Grandma." Charlotte said quietly.

"Even so! You'd be better to cut all ties with him altogether!" Emily said. "Oh I can't stand this anymore, I'm going to go and see what's taking them so long." She said getting up, handing Jack back to Charlotte and going over to the nurses' desk.

Charlotte quietly watched as her mom let out a breath and leant her head on Luke's shoulder, him returning the action by putting his arm round her. She then glanced over at Rory and Tristan by the vending machines. She pulled out her cell and scrolled through her contacts, her finger hovering over Jess' name. She then sighed, thinking better of it and putting her cell away in her pocket. She leant back on her chair and let out a breath, hoping the doctor will reappear soon.

Emily returned in a huff as she wasn't able to get any information. Soon, though, the doctor did appear.

"Dr. Goldstein..." Lorelai said.

"I'm Emily Gilmore. How's my husband?" Emily asked.

"Good. I'm glad you're here. The blockage is worse than we'd hoped. I think the best course of action, really the only course of action is to do an emergency bypass surgery." He told them.

"Open-heart surgery?" Lorelai said quietly.

"Let him finish, Lorelai." Emily said.

"We'd like to go into surgery as soon as possible. So now would be the time if you'd like to visit him." He said.

"Yes, yeah, we'd like to see him." Charlotte nodded.

"If you'll follow me then, please." He said.

* * *

Emily, Lorelai, Rory and Charlotte were stood in Richard's room. Luke and Tristan had opted to wait in the waiting room.

"Richard how are you doing?" Emily asked.

"Hi Grandpa." Rory smiled.

"How are you doing?" Charlotte said softly.

"I met your doctor just now. I think he's quite competent and I watched his hands closely and they're steady as a statue's. Oh, and Richard, he's a Yale undergrad, Harvard medical school." Emily rambled.

"You don't say. Well, if he does a good job I'll forget the Harvard part. I'll write that off as a youthful indiscretion." Richard smiled softly. "Now, Rory, I'm sorry I gave you a scare in class today." He said.

"No don't be silly. I'm just glad you're ok. And you're going to be more ok after the surgery." Rory said.

"Thank you." He said.

"Are you ok, Grandpa? I mean how are you feeling, considering everything? You look ok." Charlotte said.

"Well all in all, I think I'd rather be in Philadelphia." He chuckled.

"Ronald Reagan." Rory smiled.

"Quoting W.C. Fields."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Rory said.

"Only you two would be talking about quotes right now." Lorelai joked.

Even Emily smiled slightly. "I should get you another pillow." She said.

"I'm perfectly fine, Emily." He assured her.

"But..."

"All I need right now is you." He said softly.

Emily smiled tremulously and held his hand. "Ok." She said quietly.

* * *

"So I tell Paris that I don't care if it would theoretically increase my chances of getting a grant to study in Russia, I am not willing to pretend to be an accomplished rhythmic gymnast." Rory was telling Tristan as she sat in the waiting room with Charlotte and Luke. Emily was making calls round the corner and Lorelai had gone to make sure she wasn't being too rude.

"How do you pretend to be a rhythmic gymnast, anyway?" Tristan smirked.

"I don't even know! Do you whirl around some ribbons? Balance a ball on your nose? She's taking our impending graduation with a pinch of total insanity." Rory laughed. She noticed Tristan's cell vibrating. "Are you sure it's ok with your work that you're here? They're not going to be mad?" She asked.

"No it's fine. They understood." Tristan said. "I don't need to do anything but be right here with you."

Rory smiled at that. "Thanks." She said softly. "Hey, you know who's going to be mad at me? Paris. Because right now, I'm missing a G.R.E. Prep course and tea with the Branford librarian." She said.

"I imagine she'll understand." Charlotte smirked.

"Charlotte's right." Tristan said.

"Seriously, Paris?" Rory said.

"Ok, maybe you better start balancing a ball on your nose." Tristan smirked.

Just then Emily and Lorelai appeared from round the corner and joined them. "

I need to cancel Richard's tennis match." Emily was saying. "And I guess I'm not going make it to my book club tomorrow. Which is just as well, I haven't even cracked the cover. Whatever gives Suzanna Shaw the idea that the rest of us share her barbaric interest in Cormac McCarthy is beyond me. Now let's see. I need to return the dean's call, and..." She said before stopping. "Oh no. Not him. What's he doing here?" Emily said causing everyone to look up.

"Did you call him?" Rory asked Charlotte.

Charlotte was surprised to see Jess entering the hospital with some bags of food. "No..." She said. She slowly walked over to him. "Hey.." She said.

"Oh..hey.." Jess said. "I..uh..I just thought you all might be hungry." He said awkwardly, holding the bags of food from Luke's up.

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly, taking them. She glanced at him. "How did you find out?" She asked.

"Lane." Jess admitted.

"Of course." She said.

"Don't be mad at her. She felt bad going against her promise but...she thought you might need a friend." He said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "I'm not mad at her. I...I'm glad she called you." She admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She said softly.

"So...how is your Grandpa?" He asked.

"He has to have open heart surgery." Charlotte said quietly.

"Aw geez, I'm sorry." Jess said awkwardly.

"I...I know that they do these sort of operations every day but it's still scary..." She admitted quietly. "And Grandpa's old...it's always risky for older people..." She said feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Hey..." Jess said softly.

"I want him to be ok." She said tremulously.

"He will be." He said. He saw her wipe away some tears. "Hey, come here." He said and without any hesitation, he brought her into a hug.

Charlotte let herself relax in his embrace. "Thanks for coming." She said quietly.

"Whatever you need, I'm here ok?" Jess said softly. "Do you want me to take Jack?"

"Oh..uh..I hadn't really thought about that." She admitted pulling away. She glanced back to everyone and realised they were subtly watching them. She saw that Emily had hold of Jack again. "You know, I think Jack is actually giving some comfort to my Grandma right now. So..I think I might keep him here." She said.

"Ok." He said.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Do you want to come and sit?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh..uh.." Jess said glancing over and seeing Lorelai and Emily staring at them. "I don't know.." He said.

"If you're busy, it's fine..." Charlotte said disappointed.

Jess glanced at her. "Would you like me to stay?" He asked.

"Not if you've got something to do..." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte..." He said softly.

Charlotte sniffed slightly. "Yeah." She admitted. "I'd like you to stay." She said softly.

"Then I'll stay." Jess said.

* * *

Lorelai, Luke, Emily, Rory and Tristan were sat in the waiting room later that afternoon.

"Just a few more?" Emily said.

"Mm-hmm." Lorelai said handing her some more milk duds. "They're good, right?"

"They stick in your teeth. But, yes, they are good. Are there any more?" She asked.

"Are you kidding? There's a ton." Lorelai said tipping some more into her hand.

"Not too many."

"Oh mom, there's no such thing."

"I wonder why they call them duds." She said.

"I don't know. Do you guys know?" Lorelai asked the others.

"No." Luke smirked.

"Nope." Tristan said.

"I could make something up, but no." Rory smiled.

"Seems a rather counter intuitive name for a type of candy." Emily said just as Dr Goldstein came over. "Doctor!" She said noticing him.

"So, he's out of surgery and it went extremely well. His recovery won't be immediate. He still has several days here at the hospital. But we can go over more of that later. He's groggy now and tired. After he gets some rest, you can all visit with him, but for now, maybe just his wife." He smiled.

"Thank you, doctor." Emily smiled relieved.

"Tell him hi from us, mom." Lorelai smiled.

"I will, Lorelai." She said getting up and following the doctor.

Lorelai glanced over where Charlotte and Jess were talking by the vending machine. She watched as Charlotte laughed at something Jess had said and he smirked in return. She then watched as she handed to Jack to him and he walked away somewhere. "I'm just going to tell Charlotte the good news." She told Luke.

"Ok." He nodded.

Lorelai got up and walked over to her daughter. "Hey." She smiled.

"Oh, hey." Charlotte smiled softly.

"So...you've sort of been M.I.A since Jess came..." She said.

"Yeah..well, I wasn't sure it would be the best idea to have him sit with us." Charlotte said hesitantly.

"Why?"

Charlotte gave her mom a look. "You know why, mom. You hate him and Grandma's calling him a hoodlum again."

Lorelai sighed. "I don't hate him, Charlotte." She sighed when her daughter gave her a look. "Ok, I hate what he did ok? I hate how he made you feel." She admitted.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah.."

"You looked...close...earlier." She said cautiously.

"I was upset about Grandpa. He was just comforting me." Charlotte said.

"Where is he and Jack anyway?" She asked.

"He's gone to find somewhere to change Jack." She said. "Hey, have you heard anything about Grandpa?"

"Yeah actually! That's why I came over. The surgery went well. He's groggy and tired but he's going to be ok." Lorelai smiled. "Your Grandma's gone in to see him."

"Oh that's great!" Charlotte said, letting out a breath. "He's really going to be ok?"

"Yeah, he's going to be ok." She smiled softly. "Come here." She said bringing her daughter into a hug.

"I was so worried." She admitted.

"We all were." Lorelai admitted.

Just then Jess returned with Jack. "Oh...sorry." He said awkwardly. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not." Charlotte smiled. "Grandpa's going to be ok. The surgery went well." She told him.

"That's good." He smiled.

"Yeah." She smiled.

Jess glanced at Lorelai awkwardly. "I should probably get going then. Do you want me to take Jack now?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's getting tired. He could probably do with a nap." Charlotte said. She smiled softly at him. "Thanks for coming." She said.

"Ring if you need anything yeah?" Jess said.

"I will." She said quietly.

He nodded, gave Charlotte a small smile, nodded at Lorelai and turned to leave.

"Hey Jess?" Lorelai said, causing Jess to turn around in surprise.

"Yeah?"

"It was good of you to come." She said.

Jess nodded. "I'll..uh..see you around." He said. "Bye." He said.

"Bye Jess." Charlotte said softly, watching him leave. She let out a breath. "He came..."

"Well...he cares about you." Lorelai said.

"Yeah.." She said quietly.

"It was good of him to come and support you. I'll give him that." She said.

Charlotte smiled at that. "Yeah." She said softly.

"You still love him, don't you?" Lorelai said softly, watching her daughter watch Jess walk away.

"Yeah." Charlotte admitted. "I can't help it but I do."

Lorelai sighed but put her arm round her daughter. "Come on, we've got lots of snacks. Let's go sit and wait fro your Grandma." She smiled, leading her back to everyone. "It's been a long day." She said.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) I love reading your reviews and I really appreciate them so thank you! Thank you so much for your support! :)**


	96. Chapter 96

**So this might be my last chapter for about a week, sorry! My Grandma's having an operation so some family are going up to stay with her for a bit and I probably won't have time to write while I'm there. I should be back Tuesday so next week I'll carry on so I hope you keep with me! :) Anyways, here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 93

December soon arrived and everyone was gearing up for Christmas. Richard was recovering well as well. Charlotte entered the diner on Christmas Eve and was surprised to see Jess behind the counter. Since him coming to the hospital, they had talked occasionally.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"Just helping out." Jess said. "It's always busy on Christmas Eve here."

"True." Charlotte said.

"Coffee?" He asked.

"Yes please." She said yawning.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, Jack just had a restless night, that's all." She said.

"Oh sorry. Is he ok?" Jess asked concerned. "He's not coming down with anything?"

"No, he just slept a lot during the day yesterday so that's probably why." Charlotte said.

"Where is he now?"

"With Rory. Tristan's coming today but not until this evening and she was driving me crazy so I asked her to watch Jack for me to keep her busy." She grinned.

"Clever." Jess smirked.

"Although I'm not looking forward to sharing a room with them tonight." She screwed up her nose.

"Ew!" Jess grimaced.

"Hey, why don't you come round tonight?" She suddenly said.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Oh come on, I'm going to be the third wheel!" She whined. "I mean you're coming for Christmas day anyway." She said.

"What?" He repeated surprised.

Charlotte saw his surprised look. "You are coming tomorrow right?" She said.

"Well...I wasn't sure if I'd be welcome.." Jess admitted.

"What? Of course you'd be welcome!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"But...your mom..."

"Is starting to come round." Charlotte said. "You earned some brownie points coming to the hospital."

"I still don't know..."

"Come on, it will be Jack's first Christmas. You don't want to miss that, do you?" She said. She saw Luke come out of the kitchen. "Luke, tell Jess he has to join us tonight and come tomorrow!" She said.

Luke glanced between them. "You heard her." He said, smirking slightly.

"You sure it won't be awkward?" Jess hesitated. "I don't want to cause problems."

"It will only be awkward if we let it." Charlotte shrugged. "Come on, Jack would love to see you."

"Emotional blackmail, that is." He said smirking slightly.

"Is it working?" She grinned.

"Maybe." He smirked.

"Yes!" She grinned, thrusting her fist in the air. "Right, I should go. I'll see you later then." She said before jumping up and leaving.

Luke glanced at Jess. "Since when were you two all friendly again?" He asked cautiously.

Jess shrugged. "We've been talking a bit more recently."

"That's good." Luke said.

Jess smiled slightly. "Yeah." He said.

"You still love her, don't you?"

"I never stopped." He said honestly. "I just made the most stupid mistake of my life. I need to deal with the consequences for that."

* * *

That evening, Charlotte was sat on the floor with Jack while Rory stood by the window waiting for Tristan. She smirked at her mom who came through from the kitchen. "You'd think they hadn't seen each other for a year." She said.

Lorelai laughed. "I think it's sweet."

"I can hear you, you know." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's the point!" Charlotte grinned. "Oh by the way, if you're ordering in, order for one extra person. I invited Jess over." She told her mom.

"Jess? Really?" Lorelai said surprised.

"Yeah. He's joining us tomorrow anyway so why not?" She said.

"I didn't realise he was coming tomorrow..."

Charlotte frowned. "You think he'd miss his first Christmas with his son?" She said.

Lorelai looked slightly abashed. "No, I guess not."

"Exactly." Charlotte said. She glanced at her mom. "Please don't make it a big thing. I want him here." She said quietly.

Lorelai looked at her daughter and sighed. "Ok fine."

"Thank you." She smiled softly.

Just then Luke and Jess arrived back from the diner. "Hey!" Luke said.

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled giving her husband a kiss. She glanced at Jess. "Jess." She nodded.

"Lorelai." He said.

"Hey Jess, look what Jack's managed to do!" Charlotte said gesturing to Jack who was pulling himself up with help of the table.

"Hey, good job buddy!" Jess smiled going over to them and sitting on the floor. As soon as Jack saw Jess, he unleashed a toothy grin and reached his hands over to him. "Hey." Jess chuckled, giving him a cuddle.

Luke glanced at Lorelai watching them. "They're working through stuff. Just let them." He said quietly.

"I know." Lorelai conceded.

Suddenly Rory squealed and ran to the door and ran out of the house.

"Well I can safely assume Tristan has arrived." Lorelai laughed.

"This is what I've had to put up with all of today." Charlotte smirked at Jess.

"Fun." He smirked.

Meanwhile, Rory had run out and launched herself at Tristan. "Hey!" She grinned.

"Hey!" He chuckled. "Missed me?" He smirked.

"Of course!" She grinned giving him a kiss. "Come on, let's go in. Mom's ordering food."

"Cool." Tristan said following Rory in. "Hey." He smiled at Lorelai and Luke.

"Hi Tristan." Lorelai smiled. "Pizza with everything ok good for you?" She asked.

"Sounds great." He nodded.

"Hey!" Tristan smiled at Charlotte and Jess.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"Hey." Jess said.

"Come on, let's go dump your bags in my room." Rory said.

"More like let's go make out." Charlotte smirked.

Rory stuck her tongue out at her sister and took Tristan to their room.

"See why I'm not looking forward to going to bed?" Charlotte told Jess.

Jess smirked. "To be honest, Rory's had to sleep in the same room as us before." He said.

Charlotte blushed slightly. "Yeah.."

"Sorry." Jess said, kicking himself for bringing their relationship up.

"It's cool." Charlotte gave him a small smile. "I might sleep in here though." She said smirking slightly.

"Might be for the best." Jess chuckled. "I can go sleep in the diner flat."

"No, don't be stupid. We've got a sleeping bag. Just sleep in here too." She said.

"Really?" Jess said surprised.

"Why not?" She shrugged. "Plus, you'll get to help me if Jack has a restless night again!" She grinned.

"Ah I knew there was a motive!" He smirked.

Later that evening, after a typical Gilmore movie night, Rory and Tristan retired to bed early while Luke and Lorelai were cleaning up all the rubbish from the takeaway in the kitchen.

"It's been nice, this evening, hasn't it?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah it has." Luke smiled.

They finished cleaning up and walked back into the living room. "Looks like the movie tired some people out." Lorelai said, gesturing towards Jess and Charlotte on the couch asleep, Charlotte leaning against Jess.

"Yeah." Luke chuckled, watching them for a moment. He glanced at Lorelai. "I'll wake Jess up." He said going towards them.

"No, wait." Lorelai said.

"What?" Luke said surprised.

Lorelai shrugged. "Why wake them? Charlotte had a bad night last night. She needs the sleep." She said.

"But Jess..."

"It's fine, Luke." Lorelai said softly. "Hand me that blanket." She said. Luke did as he was told and Lorelai slowly walked over to them. She looked at her daughter and she looked so peaceful. She carefully put the blanket over the both of them. She smiled at Luke. "Come on, let's head upstairs." She said softly.

Luke smiled, knowing this was Lorelai's way of telling him she was ok with Jess now. "Ok." He said softly, taking one last glance at Charlotte and Jess before heading upstairs with her.

* * *

Charlotte woke up early the following morning. It took her a while to work out where she was but then she realised. She was surprised to look up to see she had been resting on Jess. "Hey..." She said awkwardly, seeing him awake already.

"Morning." He said just as awkwardly.

"I guess we fell asleep..." She laughed nervously.

"I guess so." He said.

"What, were you just watching me sleep?" Charlotte joked, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"You were sleeping on my arm." Jess smirked.

Charlotte sat up quickly. "Sorry." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine." He chuckled.

"Hey Jess?" She said.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas!" She grinned.

"Merry Christmas." He smiled.

Just then Lorelai came rushing downstairs with Luke following reluctantly. "Merry Christmas!" She grinned excitedly.

"Merry Christmas!" Charlotte laughed. "How early did she wake you up then, Luke?" She smirked.

"Way too early." Luke grumbled.

"You should know by now that mom turns into a four year old at Christmas." Charlotte grinned.

"Hey!" She said indignantly. "Right, I'm going to wake up your sister and then we can start unwrapping presents!" She grinned.

* * *

Everyone spent the morning sat in their pyjamas, unwrapping presents together. Everyone was very happy with the presents they had received from each other. Lorelai glanced over at Rory and Tristan who were snuggled up on the couch. She then glanced at charlotte who was sat in the armchair, smiling, whilst watching Jess opening presents with Jack. She could see the longing in her daughter's gaze. She knew Charlotte loved Jess. She always would. She then watched her daughter go over to them and sit with them on the floor. She reached for a present and gave it to Jack.

"This one's from your daddy." Charlotte smiled at her son. "Should I unwrap it for you?" Jack gave her a toothy grin again so she unwrapped it. "Aw look, it's a toy dog!" She said showing it to Jack, who immediately grabbed it.

"Looks like that's a hit!" Lorelai commented.

Jess glanced at her and smiled. "Thought he might like it." He shrugged. He reached for a present. "I know we're not doing presents but I got you this. I thought you might like it. I'm not trying to buy your love back or anything. I just thought...well I thought you might like it." He said gruffly handing Charlotte a present.

Charlotte glanced at him intrigued, before opening the present. She smiled looking down at a framed photo of the two of them with Jack. It was taken a while ago when they were all living at the flat in Hartford. It was the day they'd gone swimming. "Jess..." She said softly.

"I know you don't have many of us with him. And I...well I wanted to remind you that we did have some good times." He shrugged.

Charlotte smiled softly. "I remember the good times." She said. "Thank you." She said softly. "I got you something too." She admitted.

"You did?" He said surprised.

"Yeah." She said getting a present from under the tree. "Here. I feel bad now because it's not much but...I saw it and thought you'd like it."

He opened it and found a guitar pick with The Clash on it. There was also a photo of them with signed autographs. "I know they're your favourite band and I found these online. I thought you'd like it."

"Thanks." Jess said surprised. "These are great."

Charlotte smiled. "I'm glad." She said, glancing at him.

"Ok, who's up for breakfast?" Lorelai announced.

Charlotte let out a breath. "Breakfast sounds good." She smiled.

"I'll go get started." Luke said.

* * *

Luke frowned as he watched Lorelai put some mistletoe up over the doorway going out to the back porch in the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't this what Christmas is about?" Lorelai grinned.

"What, stupid traditions?" Luke smirked.

"Are you going to come over and kiss me or not?" She smirked.

Luke smirked and walked over. "I guess I can let it go just this once." He said leaning in to give her a kiss.

"I love you." She smiled.

"Right back at ya." Luke smiled. He then thought. "Wait, aren't Charlotte and Jess out there?"

"Yep." Lorelai said innocently.

Luke looked at her suspiciously. "You're planning something..." He said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said.

"Ok, I don't get it. You were so against Jess. What's changed?" Luke said.

Lorelai sighed. "I've been watching Charlotte the past month. She's been missing him, I know she has. I still don't like what he did or how he made her feel but...I can see he has been trying to put it right. And Charlotte's been a lot happier recently. I think I know why that is." She said. "It's Christmas. Maybe it's time to just support them instead of trying to stop it happen." She shrugged. "Because it is going to happen. Those two are never going to be able to keep away from each other."

Luke smiled slightly. "Yeah, I agree."

"Come on, let's go and join Rory and Tristan." She smiled leading Luke through to the living room.

Meanwhile outside, Charlotte and Jess were sat outside in the porch swing. "Thanks for inviting me today." Jess said.

"It's ok." Charlotte said. "It's been fun."

"Yeah, it has." Jess said quietly.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Are you ok?" She asked, seeing he was obviously thinking about something.

"I've been going to therapy." He admitted.

"What?" She said surprised.

"I've been going to see a therapist every week for a few months now." He admitted, glancing at her. "You were right. Everything you said to me that day. I had issues and I needed to get them sorted. I hated who I was. I didn't want to be like that. Realising I'd lost you, I knew I had to do something."

"Wow..." She said. "Well...has it helped?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah." He said honestly. "She's really helped. I was nervous to go the first time. I very nearly bailed but I decided to go. And I told her everything. Everything about my life, everything about my anger issues. It felt...good. She listened to me, she didn't judge me. It felt...good." He said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Well I'm glad." She said softly.

"She's helped me with how to control my anger. I've already used the techniques and they are working. But...she made me realise this all stems from my resentment towards my mom." He admitted. He glanced at her. "I'm sure you already worked that out."

"Sort of." She nodded hesitantly.

"I need to talk to her. Like proper talk to her. Without the shouting that normally happens. I just...I need to pluck up courage to do it." Jess admitted. "It's pathetic really. That I can't bring myself to ring her and ask to meet up and talk." He sighed.

"Hey..." Charlotte said softly, reaching for his hand. "It's not pathetic." She said. She then sighed. "Jess, I know you've been through a lot with her. You've told me a bit of it but I'm sure there's a lot more you've not told me. I do understand your resentment. I'm just glad you're getting help for it because I know you don't like how it's made you feel. I do know that."

"That night...the kiss..." Jess said quietly. "I've never been so sorry for anything in my whole life. I've never felt so bad for anything in my whole life. I knew then and there that I needed to get help. You are the one person, besides Luke, who has stood by me through so much and has loved me for who I am." He said gruffly. "I've been such an idiot to you. More than an idiot. I don't expect you ever to forgive me for what I did. But I wanted to show you that I know the hurt I put you through and I wanted to show I was trying to sort myself out." He sighed. "I know it's not much really but..."

"Hey, this is a huge step for you." Charlotte said. "Admitting you have some problems. Going to get help for them. That's a huge step and I'm so proud you've done it."

Jess gave her a small smile. "It was the least I could do."

"You know...I could go with you to talk to your mom if you want?" Charlotte said.

"What?" He said surprised.

"If you want some moral support..."

He smiled slightly. "Thanks. But I think it's something I should do by myself." He said.

"Fair enough." She smiled softly.

Jess glanced at Charlotte. "I know I've been a jerk to you. I know I messed up. But I want you to know, I do love you. I will always love you." He said softly.

Charlotte smiled softly. "I love you too." She admitted.

"You do?" He said letting out a breath.

"I've never stopped, Jess. I just...we needed space away from each other. Our relationship wasn't healthy. You know it wasn't." She said.

"I know." Jess said quietly. He glanced at her. "Do you...do you think maybe we could work it out?"

Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile. "Yeah...I think we can. I'm not going to lie and say what you did didn't hurt me. Because it did. It devastated me. But I know deep down, it didn't mean anything to you...I do know that."

"It didn't. It really didn't." Jess said.

"It's going to take time for me to totally forgive you. But...I can see you're trying. I do appreciate that." She said. "And I do miss you." She admitted.

"I miss you too." Jess said. "Charlotte, you're everything to me. You're always going to be everything to me. Please...please say we're going to be ok." He said.

Charlotte smiled tremulously. "We're going to be ok." She said softly.

Jess let out a shaky breath. "Thank you." He said pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."

Charlotte let out a breath and relaxed into his embrace. "I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He said.

Charlotte pulled away and let out a breath. "Come on, we should head back inside." She said.

"Yeah ok." He said getting up. He went to walk inside when he heard Charlotte laughing. "What?" He said.

"Look up." She said.

Jess looked up and smirked. "Mistletoe?" He said. "That wasn't there before..."

"Yeah. It's my mom. She does this every year." Charlotte shook her head.

"Do you think this is her way of telling us something?" He said hesitantly.

Charlotte glanced up at the mistletoe and then back at him and smiled. "I think it is." She said suddenly realising this couldn't just be a coincidence.

"So? Should we just go back inside?" Jess said.

"We could." Charlotte said. "Or...we could do what should happen under mistletoe?" She said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" He said.

"Well it is tradition." Charlotte said smirking slightly.

Jess smirked and walked towards her. "You sure you want this? I don't want to force you..." He said.

"You're not." She smiled softly.

Jess smiled and pulled her close to him. "Last chance to say no?" He smirked.

"Just do it." She smirked. Jess smirked and leant in and kissed her. Suddenly everything felt normal again. Charlotte was responding and deepening the kiss. She slowly pulled away after a while. "Well...I've missed that." She joked.

Jess chuckled. "You have no idea." He said.

"Merry Christmas Jess." She smiled softly.

"Merry Christmas Charlotte." He smiled before leaning in to kiss her again.

 **So they're back together! I hope you liked it! Please keep your reviews coming as I love reading what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support and I'll see you in about a week! :)**


	97. Chapter 97

**Thought I might treat you to another chapter before I head up to my Grandma's! :) Thanks for all you support so far! It really does mean a lot! :)**

Chapter 94

It was a few days after Christmas and Charlotte, Jess and Rory were walking through Stars Hollow, Charlotte pushing Jack in a pram. Rory glanced at her sister and Jess. "So...are you two ok now then?" She asked cautiously. She knew they had reconciled on Christmas Day but she didn't know much more. Charlotte was still living at the Crap Shack.

"Well...we're taking it slow. But yeah." Charlotte said giving Jess a small smile.

"So you're not moving back in with Jess then?" Rory frowned confused.

Charlotte sighed. "Ror..."

"We're taking slow." Jess said. "I don't want to force Charlotte to do anything."

"Ok." Rory said. "Sounds like you're not back together then." She said under her breath.

"What?" Charlotte frowned.

"Nothing, I'm just going to pop in Doose's." Rory sighed.

"I don't believe it." Jess suddenly said.

"What?" Charlotte said.

"Look who it is." He said gesturing towards the gazebo.

Charlotte looked and smiled. "Sam?" She said. "Did you know he was coming?" She asked Jess.

"No." He said, walking up to his friend. "Of all the gin joints..." He smirked.

"Hey!" Sam grinned.

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"I came to visit this one." Sam said gesturing to Jess. "I heard about you two and thought I'd come and cheer him up. But...it looks like you two may have made up..."

Jess smiled sheepishly. "It was only recent. Sorry, I was going to call you." He said. "How was Christmas? It must have been different this year..."

"Yeah..." Sam said quietly. "It was ok. We didn't really celebrate that much to be honest. But we raised a toast to dad." He said.

Jess nodded. "That's nice." He said softly.

"Yeah..." He said. "But it was so weird without him, I thought I'd come and visit you and bring in the New Year with you. Remember what we used to do for it with dad?" Sam smiled.

"Yeah." Jess smiled. "We'd go to Washington Square Park and watch the fireworks."

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "I know we can't do that this year but...I thought we could still see it in together? Unless you two have plans..."

"Oh..uh.."

"Of course you can join us." Charlotte smiled. "You're always welcome."

"Thanks." Sam said gratefully.

"How did you find us anyway?" Jess asked.

"You spoke about Stars Hollow. There aren't exactly many Stars Hollows in the area." Sam smirked. "Figured I'd bump into you at some stage." He shrugged. "So is this your kid?" He smiled down at Jack.

"Yeah, this is Jack." Charlotte smiled.

"Cute." Sam smiled. He glanced at them. "Look, I'm sorry I sort of sprung the visit on you guys, but I had to get out of New York for a bit." He admitted. "You don't mind if I stay with you for a bit, do you?" He asked hesitantly. "I'll even babysit for you if you want!"

"You don't need to." Jess smirked. "It's cool. Of course you can stay."

"Thanks." He said.

"Actually...Jess is taking me out tonight." Charlotte said.

"So you need a babysitter?" Sam grinned.

Charlotte saw Rory coming out of Doose's. "Hey Ror! You wouldn't mind watching Jack for us tonight with Sam, would you?"

"Sam?" Rory said confused.

"Oh sorry, I forgot you two hadn't met. Rory, this is Sam. Jess's friend from New York. Sam, this is my sister, Rory." Charlotte introduced them.

"Uh..it's..uh..nice to meet you." Sam said, giving her a once over.

"Yeah you too." Rory sighed.

"Anyway, Sam's going to be staying at the flat for a bit and he's offered to babysit but I thought it might be good if you're there to show him the ropes." Charlotte said. "Just in case we need him to watch Jack again at some point."

"It's not exactly rocket science." Rory said.

"Oh come on! Look, I know you've been sulking since Tristan left but it would be a huge help to us. Please?" Charlotte said.

Rory sighed. "Yeah fine, ok."

"Thank you."

"And I've not been sulking." Rory said quietly.

"You have." Charlotte smirked.

"Well, maybe a bit." She conceded.

"Right, I don't know about you guys but I need cake." Charlotte grinned, walking ahead of Jess and Sam with Rory.

"Cake sounds good." Rory smirked as they headed towards Weston's.

Jess glanced at Sam, who hadn't taken his eyes off Rory since she had come out. "I hate to disappoint you but she's got a boyfriend." He said.

"Yeah but does he have my charm?" Sam winked at him.

Jess shook his head. "She's happy." He said.

Sam shrugged. "Doesn't hurt for us to get to know each other does it?" He said.

Jess smirked. "I can see you haven't changed."

"And what fun would I be if I had?" He grinned.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte and Jess left Jack with Rory and Sam at the flat in Hartford.

"So where are we going?" She asked Jess.

"I thought we'd have a meal at Sniffy's. You remember Maisy and Buddy right?" He said.

"Of course! I've never been to their place, I've always wanted to!" Charlotte grinned excitedly.

"I'm glad." Jess smirked.

Charlotte glanced across at him while he was driving. "So...how do you think Sam is doing with Jack?" She smirked.

Jess smirked. "No idea, but he's got Rory there so Jack will be fine." He said.

"Oh I know!" Charlotte said. "I just hope this cheers Rory up a bit. She's been so moody since Tristan left."

Jess glanced at her. "Do you think the long distance thing is taking its toll on her?" He asked.

Charlotte sighed. "I don't know." She said honestly. "I know she loves Tristan but it's hard, you know. Him being there, her being here. Them only going to be able to see each other on holidays."

"Yeah.." He said.

"I think she's worried it won't work out." Charlotte admitted. "I mean, Tristan doesn't know how long he will be in California for. She wants to end up in New York." She said. She sighed. "I'm sure they will be fine."

"It must be hard though." Jess said.

"Yeah." Charlotte said quietly. She glanced at Jess. "Sorry, this was meant to be a date. I'll stop dampening the mood."

Jess chuckled. "It's fine." He said. "Here we are." He said.

"Yay!" She grinned.

* * *

Sam watched as Rory sat on the couch with Jack. "You're good with him." He said going over to them.

Rory smiled. "It's not hard. He's a pretty chilled out baby." She said.

Sam nodded and went to sat next to them and smiled down at Jack. "I would never have thought Jess would be a dad." He admitted.

Rory laughed. "Well, it was a bit of a shock when Charlotte told us. I don't think this little guy was exactly planned." She said.

"But they're good parents?" Sam smiled.

"Yeah." Rory said softly, smiling down at Jack. "Yeah they are."

"I always knew Jess would get his happy ending in the end. He's been through a lot. He deserves it." Sam said. "I mean, I know he's been an idiot recently but..."

Rory glanced at him. "You and Jess were close right?" She said.

"Yeah. Me and my dad lived across from Jess and his mom." Sam nodded. "He came round a lot."

"I heard your dad looked out for him. I know he appreciated it. Charlotte said how upset he was when he heard about your dad..." Rory said cautiously. "I..uh..I'm sorry about your dad."

"Thanks." Sam said quietly. He glanced at her. "So...did you all have a good Christmas?" He asked.

"Yeah it was nice." Rory smiled. "Jess and Charlotte reconciled which was just a matter of time in my opinion." She said.

"You knew they'd get back together?" Sam asked surprised.

Rory shrugged. "They fit together. I mean, don't get me wrong, I hated what he did. How he hurt Charlotte. But...I know my sister. Her and Jess have gone through a lot. She loves him. I've never seen her so happy as she is with Jess. They just...fit." She said.

"He's good guy." Sam said. "I'm not condoning what he did. He can be a total idiot. But he's a good guy." He said. "When we went to school, these guys took a dislike to me. I don't even know why but they did. They made my life hell but Jess was always there. He would defend me at school. He was just...there. These guys started rumours about me so soon my other friends sort of drifted away but Jess didn't. He stood by me through it all."

Rory smiled. "That does sound like Jess. I do know he'd do anything for Charlotte and Jack." She said.

"And how about you? Have that someone special?" Sam asked, glancing at her.

"Oh, well, yeah, I have a boyfriend." Rory said.

"Oh yeah? He treat you right?" Sam said.

Rory glanced at Sam. "Why are you so interested?"

"Hey, you're a friend of Jess' so that automatically means you're a friend of mine. I have to know if I should go and beat up this guy." Sam said holding his hands up in mock surrender.

Rory smirked slightly. "Well you can stand down. Tristan's great. He treats me very well." She said.

"Then why do you look so miserable talking about him?" Sam said.

Rory glanced at him and then back at Jack. "It's nearly time for Jack's bedtime. He needs changing and feeding. I'll be right back." She said before getting up and quickly disappearing into the Jack's room.

* * *

"Jess! It's so lovely to see you!" Maisy exclaimed as she came over to their table in Sniffy's.

"Hi." Jess smiled. "I..uh..I thought I'd bring Charlotte to taste your food. She's been wanting to come for ages."

"Of course! Hello sweetheart." She smiled at Charlotte.

"Hi!" Charlotte grinned.

"Is he treating you right?" Maisy asked. "I know he did something stupid." She said giving Jess a look.

"How do you know about that?" Jess frowned.

"Luke." Maisy said. "Before you say anything, I got it out of him. I asked how you were and you know what a bad liar he is."

Jess smirked slightly. "Yeah he is." He sighed.

"We're good." Charlotte smiled up at Maisy. "Jess is certainly making it up to me."

"Good." Maisy said. "Because you'd be a fool to let this one go." She warned.

"Oh yeah, I know." Jess said glancing over at Charlotte.

"I'll go get your food." Maisy smiled, walking off.

Jess glanced over at Charlotte. "I am sorry." He said. "For everything."

"Hey, we've been through all this before. You've apologised already." Charlotte said.

"I know but I feel like I should apologise a million times."

"Well you don't need to." She assured him.

"I need you to know that I will never ever cheat on you again. I promise you that. I really do. It will never happen again." Jess said sincerely.

Charlotte smiled softly. "I believe you."

"You do?" He said, letting out a breath.

"Oh yeah, because if it happens again, I'm going to kick you where the sun don't shine and then you'll be sorry." She said smirking slightly.

Jess chuckled nervously. "Duly noted." He said.

"Hey." Charlotte said softly, taking hold of his hand. "Wasn't this date supposed to be a moving on from the past thing?" She said. "I wouldn't have agreed to it if I wasn't prepared to move on." She assured him. "You did hurt me. But I probably overreacted as well..." She admitted.

"No. You didn't." He said shaking his head. "If you had done what I did, I probably would have felt the exact same as you." He said. "I deserved what I got."

"Maybe." She agreed. "But I know you deeply regret it and that, deep down, you didn't do it to hurt me. You were angry because of something else." She said. "Something you're getting help for."

Jess let out a breath and gave her a small smile. "So we're ok?"

"We're ok." Charlotte smiled. "Actually...I was thinking I might start moving my stuff back into the flat..." She said.

"Seriously?" He said.

"Yeah." She smiled. "Mom and Luke are going to be preparing for the baby soon. I mean she is due in a couple of months. They should have the house to themselves."

"So...you're moving back in to help them?" He asked cautiously.

Charlotte smirked. "Partly." She joked. "No." She laughed. "I'm moving back in because I want to move back in. I've missed you. And Jack needs some stability as well. I want us to be a proper family again."

Jess smiled. "I'd like that too." He said softly.

* * *

Sam looked up when Rory returned after a while, without Jack. "Everything ok?" He asked.

"Yeah. He went down easily." She said.

"Look, I'm sorry if I overstepped the mark when I asked about your boyfriend. I've only just met you and I'm already prying into your personal life." He said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No it's fine." She sighed, sitting back down. "It's just hard." She admitted.

"How come?"

"He lives and works in California. And...well I go to Yale."

"Ah." He said understanding. "Long distance huh?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "We..uh..we broke up before he left but then he returned for a family thing and we met up and I don't know..."

"You couldn't let him go again?" Sam guessed.

"More like he burst into the diner and said he wouldn't leave until I agree we should get back together. He said he was miserable without me in his life and that he would rather try long distance rather than nothing at all." Rory admitted.

"Well..I have to say, I can't blame the guy. Anyone would be a fool to let you go." Sam said.

"What?" Rory said taken aback.

"Well anyone can see you're a hit." Sam said.

"A hit?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Sam laughed slightly. "I just mean...uh...well..."

"Uh..well what?" Rory said.

"Just...you're really pretty. And..uh..I'm sure you're really clever as well. And funny." Sam said. He blushed slightly. "I've made a show of myself haven't I?" He said.

Rory smirked slightly. "Only a little." She said. "So...seeing as you're prying into my life, what about you? Have you got a girlfriend?" She smirked.

"No." Sam shook his head. "I've had a couple before but nothing serious." He said.

"You really think a lot of yourself don't you?" Rory said.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Well, you know I have a boyfriend yet you're still coming onto me." She said smirking slightly.

"Well...I do have this charm..." Sam smirked.

"Oh a charm huh?" Rory laughed. "This charm works with all the girls, does it?"

"I don't know. Does it?" He grinned.

Just then Rory's cell rang. She glanced at it. "It's Tristan!" She smiled, answering it. "Hey!" She said.

"Hey back!" Tristan said. "How are you?"

"Yeah good, you?"

"Yeah good." He said. "What you up to?"

"Babysitting Jack. Charlotte and Jess has gone out on a date." She said.

"Ah." He said. "They're finally working things out then?"

"Looks like it." She smiled.

"So are you with your mom and Luke then babysitting?" Tristan asked.

"What? Oh, no. I'm with Sam." She said, glancing at Sam who gave her a mock salute.

"Sam?" He said.

"Yeah. He's Jess' friend from New York. He's come to visit Jess for a bit and since Charlotte and Jess are out, he's keeping me company while I watch Jack." Rory said.

"Oh. Right." Tristan said.

"So what are you up to?" Rory smiled.

"Nothing." He said. "I need to go."

"What?" She said confused.

"Sorry."

"Tristan?"

"I'll call you another time. When you're not babysitting." He said before hanging up.

"Tristan?" Rory frowned.

"Everything ok?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." She said. "He was acting weird."

"Do you think it might be something to do with the fact you told him you were babysitting with another guy? A guy he doesn't know." Sam pointed out.

"What? No! Tristan's not the jealous type. Why would he be jealous?" Rory frowned.

"Come on!" Sam laughed. "If you heard he was hanging out with a girl, you wouldn't be a little jealous?"

"No." Rory said defensively. "Because I trust him."

"Ok." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong then. Maybe he just needed to go."

"It's not like anything's going to happen between us! We're just hanging out!" Rory said.

"Ok!" He said holding his hands up. "Sorry." He said. "So what are you majoring in at Yale?" He asked.

"What?" She said surprised by the sudden change of subject.

"You said you went to Yale." He said.

"Oh, yeah I do. I'm doing journalism." She told him.

"Cool! So you want to write for papers in the future then?"

"Yeah hopefully."

"Cool."

"Yeah..." She said glancing at him. "I..uh..I'm just going to check on Jack."

"Ok." He said.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess were walking up the stairs to the flat after their date later that evening. "So...this has been nice." She smiled.

"Yeah it has." Jess smiled. "Do you..uh..I know you don't have your stuff back here yet...but do you want to stay over tonight?" He asked hesitantly.

Charlotte smiled. "That sounds nice." She said softly, leaning in to give him a kiss.

"Yeah?" He smiled.

"Oh yeah." She grinned, as Jess opened the flat door. "Hey!" She smiled as they walked in to find Sam and Rory laughing about something. "Ooh what's so funny?"

"Jess, tell her how I fooled the whole school and got us all a day off!" Sam grinned.

"You so couldn't have done that! How could you have fooled a whole school?" Rory exclaimed.

"Oh he did!" Jess said. "Managed to hack into the school website and everything. Said there was too much school and that it was closed." He smirked.

"See!" Sam grinned.

Rory just shook her head. "I can't believe you did that. Didn't you get into trouble?"

"Oh yeah!" Sam nodded. "But that was half the fun." He grinned.

"So how's Jack been?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh he's been fine. Got off to sleep easily and hasn't woken since." Rory said.

"Cool, thanks." She smiled.

Rory glanced at her watch. "I better get back." She said getting up. "Thanks for keeping me company. It's been...interesting." She said smirking slightly.

"Will you be around New Year's Eve?" Sam asked.

"Should be." She nodded.

"Maybe I'll see you before you go back to Yale then?"

"What, so you can try your charm on me again?" Rory joked.

"Maybe." He grinned.

Rory laughed and shook her head. "See you around." She said. "Bye guys." She smiled at her sister and Jess.

"See ya." Charlotte smiled. "Thanks again!"

"Yeah see ya." Jess said.

"I'm just going to check on Jack." Charlotte said disappearing off to the nursery.

Jess looked at Sam. "I hope you're not planning anything with Rory." He said.

"Why?"

"Because she's got a boyfriend!" Jess said. "She's happy. Tristan's a good guy."

"Look, I just got to know her. Did you expect us to just sit and not talk?" Sam pointed out.

"No...but..."

"Relax, Rory has her own mind." Sam said.

"I know but I also know you. Especially when you have your mind set on something." Jess raised his eyebrows at him.

"Well what can I say? I can't help how I feel. And you love having me here, admit it!" He said, smirking slightly.

Jess just shook his head but smirked. "I guess life was never boring with you." He conceded.

"Exactly!" Sam grinned.

Jess smirked. "I'm going to bed. I'll get you some blankets for the couch." He said heading towards his room.

"Hey Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I do appreciate you letting me stay." Sam said.

"It's cool." Jess said. "You can stay as long as you want. You know that."

"Thanks." He smiled. "Night."

"Night."

 **Hope you liked it! Thank you again for all your reviews and support! I really do appreciate them all so thank you! :)**


	98. Chapter 98

**Thank you so much for all your support so far! :) I'm back home now so normal service can resume. Hope you're still with me! :)**

Chapter 95

Rory was browsing the shelves at Andrew's Bookstore for books to take back with her to Yale. He always had the best selection. She wasn't looking where she was going as she was going round the corner and she bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry!" She apologised.

"Hooked on phonics as well then, I see?" A familiar voice said.

"Oh hey!" Rory said as she saw Sam standing there. She then noticed the stack of books he was holding. "Are you buying books for Jess?" She asked.

"Why would you say that?" He asked.

"Well...he's the only other person I know that reads as much as I do." Rory said.

"So I don't look like someone who would read?" Sam said with a slight smirk.

"I didn't say that! I didn't mean..." Rory said quickly but then noticed him smiling. "You're mean." She said.

"Sorry." He smirked.

"So you read a lot?" She asked genuinely interested.

"You could say that." Sam said. "You'd think I'd get sick of books since I work in a bookstore but hey. Jess got me into reading and we've been sharing each other's books ever since."

"You work in a bookstore? In New York?" Rory asked surprised.

"The Strand, yeah." He nodded.

"No way! You work in The Strand? That's so cool!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oh so now I interest you huh?" Sam smirked.

"Well anyone who could get me a discount at the most famous bookstore ever definitely interests me!" She grinned.

"Who says I'll give you a discount?" Sam said.

"I'll let you have a free rein of my books at home and you can borrow any you want." Rory tried.

Sam chuckled. "Now that is an offer!"

"So is that a yes?" She said hopefully.

"If you let me give you a tour of New York when you come, then it's a deal." He said.

"Why would you do that?" She said confused.

"Well...I'm assuming you want to end up in New York." He said.

"How do you know that?"

"You said you wanted to write for the big papers and everyone always wants the New York Times so I just assumed." He shrugged. "But if you don't, then that's fine."

"No! I want!" Rory said quickly. She glanced at him. "You wouldn't mind?" She asked.

"I asked you, didn't I? It's fine. It'll be fun." He smiled.

Rory smiled. "Ok. Thanks."

"I'm going to go pay for these. See you later right?" He said.

"Later?"

"For the New Year's Eve party? Charlotte said you go every year." Sam said.

"Oh right. Yeah. I'll be there."

"Great. Guess it won't be a total disappointment then." He smirked.

Rory narrowed her eyes. "Hey that's my town you're talking about."

"I'm more interested in the town's people." Sam said.

"Are you hoping to use that charm you were talking about before?" She said with a slight smirk.

"Maybe." He grinned. "You'll have to turn up and find out." He said and with that, he turned and went off to pay for the books he had chosen.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the diner and slumped into a chair at a table, breathing heavily.

"Hey, you ok?" A concerned voice asked.

Lorelai smiled up at Luke. "I'm fine. I just forgot how much babies weigh inside me, that's all." She said.

"Trouble getting around?" He guessed.

"Yeah." She sighed. "But some pancakes would really help." She grinned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine. But no coffee."

"Fine." She pouted. "Hey have you met the famous Sam yet?" She asked.

"Not yet." Luke shook his head.

"Well I think they're all coming to the party tonight." She smiled.

"I'm not going to the party." He grumbled.

"Yes you are!" She grinned.

"No I'm not."

"Hey, I'm carrying your child and I want you to come. Please?"

Luke growled. "You know that's not going to be able to work for much longer." He grumbled.

"I know." Lorelai grinned. "Soon we will have our kid to argue over!"

Luke smirked slightly. "I'll get your pancakes."

"Love ya!" She grinned.

* * *

"He down?" Charlotte asked as Jess walked back into the living room.

"Yeah. He fell asleep pretty much straight away." He said.

"Good." She smiled.

Jess saw Charlotte watching him, smiling, as he got a glass of water. "What?" He said.

"Nothing." She smiled. "It just...feels good to be back."

Jess smiled and went and sat next to her on the couch. "It's good to have you back. You and Jack." He said.

"Jack seems to be more settled now. He wasn't really sleeping through the night before when he should have been but since being here, he's been great." Charlotte commented. "Maybe he could sense something wasn't right..."

"Maybe..." Jess said.

"So how was your counselling session this morning?" She asked.

"Good." He nodded. "It's just good to talk to someone who doesn't know me, you know."

"I get that." She nodded. She was quiet for a moment before glancing at him. "I was thinking...maybe next week, we could go together?" She suggested cautiously.

"You want to come?" He asked surprised.

"Well...I know we've been talking about our issues but maybe it might be good to get an outside perspective?" She said. "It's not because I'm not happy we're back together." She added quickly. "I am happy. I just thought...well it might help." She shrugged. "And I want to support you."

Jess smiled slightly. "Well then, I'd like you to come." He said.

"Really?" She smiled.

"If it will help us, of course." He said.

"Ok. Great." She smiled leaning over to kiss him. "Boy I've missed this." She smirked.

Jess smirked. "Me too." He said reciprocating the action and deepening the kiss. He carefully got on top of her and kept kissing her.

"Oh geez! Can't you two keep your hands off each other for a minute?" Sam exclaimed, having just walked in.

"Sorry." Charlotte smiled sheepishly.

"I thought you were out for the afternoon." Jess smirked.

"No, I just went to buy some books." He said holding up his bags. "But I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll head out again." He smirked.

"You don't need to." Charlotte said feeling bad they were pushing him out.

"It's cool." Sam chuckled. "I get that you two need some time together. I did arrive when you two had just reconciled. Of course you're going to want some quality time. I'll head out and meet you later."

"Are you sure?" Jess said.

Sam smirked. "I'm sure. I'll meet you at the party. We'll hang out then yeah?"

"Yeah definitely!" Charlotte nodded.

"Cool. See you later then! Continue canoodling." Sam smirked before leaving.

Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. "Well that was embarrassing!"

Jess smirked. "Where were we?"

Charlotte grinned and started kissing him. "I'd say we were about here..."

* * *

"Reading again? How novel." Sam said as he walked on the bridge where Rory was sat.

"Geez, are you stalking me or something?" She said.

"Will you get me arrested if I say yes?" He grinned.

Rory smirked slightly. "Nah, I don't think Jess would be too happy about that."

"Oh I don't know. He's more interested in doing it with your sister at the moment." Sam said.

"Ewww! I didn't need to know that!" Rory exclaimed.

Sam grinned and sat down next to her, dangling his legs over the edge. "Sorry." He said. "I just didn't want to be a gooseberry so I figured I'd head back here and wait until the party tonight. You don't mind the company, do you?"

"No it's fine." She smiled.

Sam looked across the water. "It's peaceful here, isn't it?" He smiled.

"Yeah. It's mine and Charlotte's favourite place. We used to come here the whole time when we were younger. Now whenever I'm home, I like to come here just to read." She said.

Sam nodded. "I can see why." He glanced at her. "So you're heading back to Yale tomorrow?" He asked.

"That's the plan." She said. "How about you? When are you heading back to New York?"

"Not sure yet." He shrugged. "Tomorrow I guess. I don't want to outstay my welcome."

"Jess and Charlotte would never think that. I know how much Jess appreciates your friendship. He loves seeing you, I'm sure." She said.

"I know and I love seeing him. But him and Charlotte have just got back together. I know they're still trying to get back to normal. I guess me coming was just bad timing." He said.

"Sorry." Rory said sympathetically.

"Ah it's fine." He said. He glanced at her. "It's not all been bad." He said.

Rory rolled her eyes. "You don't stop, do you?" She shook her head.

"Just telling you the truth." Sam smirked.

"And you're trying to charm me again. It's not working." Rory said raising her eyebrows at him.

"Worth a try." He shrugged.

Rory just shook her head but she stifled a smirk.

"So, you and Tristan? Are you serious?" He asked innocently.

Rory turned to him in surprise. "Seriously?" She exclaimed incredulously. "At first it was funny but it's getting boring now. Tristan and I are good so just leave it." She said getting up.

"Hey, I was just asking!" Sam said getting up too. "It's not my fault you're so touchy about it!"

Rory narrowed his eyes at him and before she knew what she was doing, she pushed Sam in the lake.

Sam stood up in the water, wiping the water out of his face and hair. "Ok, I guess I was asking for that." He chuckled slightly.

"Yeah you were." Rory said crossing her arms.

"I deserved that. But geez, didn't think you had it in you!" Sam said pulling himself out of the water. "Geez and it's cold!" He said starting to shiver.

"Well I heard it was cathartic." Rory said smirking slightly.

"Oh I'm glad it's made you feel better!" He chuckled.

"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly, starting to feel bad.

He sighed. "No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried about your relationship. I guess I don't think before I say something sometimes. I was being a jerk. Sorry."

Rory could see he was being sincere. "It's fine." She sighed. "Look why don't you come back to mine? I'm sure I could find you some clothes to change into and you can warm up there." She offered.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah. It's my fault you're freezing." She said. "Come on." She said starting to walk.

"Thanks." Sam said following her. He glanced at her and she could see her stifling another smirk. "Oh I'm glad you find it funny!" He said.

"It was though. And hey, you have something else in common with Jess now!" She grinned.

"What?" He said confused.

"Luke pushed him in the lake on his second day here." Rory grinned.

"Now that's a story I need to hear!" He laughed.

* * *

"You can borrow these." Rory said handing him some clothes.

"You wearing guys' clothes in your spare time?" Sam joked.

"Ha ha." Rory said. "No, Tristan left these behind. I know it's not great but I doubt you want to borrow something of Luke's."

Sam laughed. "These are cool, thanks." He said. He glanced at her. "Tristan won't mind?" He asked cautiously.

"I don't see why he would. Anyway, he's hardly going to find out seeing as he's not here." Rory said.

Sam heard the edge in her voice but didn't say anything. "Ok. Thanks." He said.

"There's a bathroom through there. You can change there." Rory said.

"Ok cool." Sam said heading to the bathroom. Once he had changed, he headed back through to the living room and found Rory on the couch reading. "Good book?" He asked.

"Yeah really good!" Rory smiled.

"Dostoyevsky's a good writer." Sam commented.

"You've read his stuff?" She asked interested.

"Oh yeah! I love them." He smiled. "I find his ideas and themes interesting."

"So do I! I can't get enough of his writing It's so thought-provoking!" Rory enthused.

"Definitely!" He nodded. He looked round the room. "You've got a nice house." He commented.

"Tell my mom that and she'll love you." Rory joked.

Sam chuckled. "I'll remember that." He said. "Have you lived here long?"

"Since Charlotte and I were about 8." Rory said.

"Where were you before then? Did you live in Stars Hollow?" He asked.

"Yeah. My mom...well, she moved here when Charlotte and I were 1. She...uh..well she had us quite young." Rory hesitated, not knowing whether to let him in on the family history.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I was just interested." Sam said.

"No you're not. It's just...it's a sore point with my grandparents. My mom was 16 when she had us and she left home the following year because she didn't like it at home. She came here with us and met Mia, the woman who used to run this other inn here, and she gave mom a job and she let her stay in the potting shed behind the inn rent free." Rory said. "We lived there until mom got a promotion and managed to save enough money to put down a deposit on this house."

"Wow, your mom did all that by herself?" Sam said surprised.

"Pretty much." Rory said. "Our dad wasn't really around. Mom made a lot of friends here and they helped a lot. And then she met Luke and he really looked out for us. But she brought us up singlehandedly. It was really tough for her some days but she didn't care. So long as we were looked after and had what we needed, she didn't care."

"Sounds like you have a pretty great mom." Sam smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah. We owe her a lot." She said softly.

"My dad basically did the same thing." Sam said.

"Yeah?" Rory said interested.

"Well, it's not quite as impressive as your mom but he brought me up by himself. My mom died when I was really young so he was all alone." Sam said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Rory said quietly. "Do you remember your mom?"

"Not really. I was only 3 when she died. I've got photos and stuff and my dad talked about her the whole time but no, I can't really remember her." He said.

"That sucks." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah." He said. "It was me and dad against the world for years. And then it was me, Jess and dad. And now...well now it's just me." Sam said, swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat.

"You don't have other family? Jess said you were living with other family." She said.

"I am. I'm living with my aunt and uncle and cousin but...it's not the same." Sam said.

"Yeah, I can understand that." Rory said. She glanced at him. "You've still got Jess." She said.

Sam smiled lightly. "Yeah, I've still got Jess." He said softly.

"And hey, you've got all of us now!" Rory smiled. "We're not going anywhere."

Sam smiled at her. "Thanks." He said softly.

"Even if you do go out of your way to annoy me." She said smirking slightly.

"Well what fun would it be if I was boring huh?" Sam grinned, causing Rory to shake her head. He spotted a guitar in the corner of the room. "Hey, do you play?" He asked gesturing to it.

"What? Oh, no! That's Luke's!" Rory said. "Jess got it for him for his birthday."

"Do you think he'd mind if I had a go on it?" Sam asked.

"You play?" She asked surprised.

"Who do you think taught Jess?" He smirked.

"You're full of surprises aren't you?" Rory laughed.

"I aim to please." He grinned, going over to pick up the guitar and then he took it back to the couch. "You don't think Luke will mind, do you?"

"Nah, I'm sure he won't." Rory said.

Sam smiled and started to strum it. "I haven't played for a while." He admitted. "My dad taught me and ever since he passed away, I haven't felt like it."

"That's understandable." Rory said, watching him. "You're really good." She said impressed.

"Thanks." He said self consciously.

"So you taught Jess?"

"Yeah. He got me into reading so I taught him this." Sam smiled.

"Cool." Rory said. "So what's your favourite band?" She started asking.

* * *

That evening, the New Year's Eve party was in full swing. Sam was stood with Rory and Lane, who Rory had introduced him to, when he spotted Charlotte and Jess arriving who went up to them.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled. "Sorry we're a bit late. We had to ring round for a babysitter and in the end, we had to ring dad."

"It's ok." Rory said. "I'm sure dad will love looking after Jack."

"Yeah, I thought so. It was silly I didn't really think about who to ask seeing as I knew everyone would be here." Charlotte said.

"It's sorted now anyway." Jess smiled, holding her hand. "I think your dad was happy to be asked. Plus he offered to keep him for the night which helps."

"True." Charlotte smiled. "Oh look, mom and Luke made it!" She smiled, pointing over to them.

"Hey, there's someone I want you to meet." Jess said to Sam. "Come on."

"Ok." Sam said following him.

"I'm just going to see the band. We're going over the music to play tonight." Lane said before disappearing.

Charlotte glanced at Rory who was watching Jess and Sam walk away. "So did Sam hang out with you this afternoon then?" She asked.

"Yeah. We just chatted." Rory said. "He's nice."

"Yeah he is." Charlotte smiled. "I felt so bad when he offered to leave us to it. He's our guest and we sort of pushed him out."

"He didn't mind. He understood you and Jess needed some time alone." Rory smiled.

"I know. But I still felt bad." She said. "At least he can hang with us tonight."

"Yeah." Rory smiled.

Meanwhile, Jess had taken Sam over to where Luke and Lorelai were stood. "You got him out here then?" Jess smirked at Lorelai.

"I don't know what you mean. Luke jumped at the chance of coming to a Stars Hollow party." Lorelai grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"I am here, you know." Luke said.

"I can see you." Jess smirked.

"Are you guys having a nice time?" Lorelai smiled.

"Charlotte and I just arrived but it looks good." Jess said. "Oh, this is Sam. Sam, this is Lorelai and Luke."

"It's nice to meet you." Sam smiled. "I've heard a lot about you both."

"Good things I hope!" Lorelai joked.

"Of course." Sam grinned.

"I'm..uh..I was sorry to hear about your dad." Luke said to Sam. "Jess told me a lot about him. Seems you and your dad helped him out a lot."

"Thanks." Sam said softly. "Dad loved Jess. And it was cool to have someone my age around as well." He smiled.

Just then, the band started playing and people started cheering and heading to the dance floor. Lorelai grinned and grabbed Luke's hand. "Come on grumpy. Let's dance!" She grinned.

"I agreed to come to this stupid thing. I didn't agree to dancing!" Luke said.

"Baby wants you to!" She grinned.

Jess smirked as he watched Lorelai manage to persuade Luke somewhat reluctantly to dance and they headed off to the dancefloor. "And that was Lorelai and Luke." He said.

"They seem great." Sam laughed.

"Yeah, they are." He smirked.

* * *

The countdown to midnight was starting and Rory was at the side watching the dancing. She saw her mom and Luke dancing to the slow song, smiling and laughing. Even Luke looked like he was actually having fun. She then glanced over at her sister and she smiled as she saw her laughing with Jess. She was glad Charlotte was happy again and that she and Jess had reconciled. She glanced down at her phone which read 23:57 and she sighed as she saw the background photo of her and Tristan. She hadn't heard from him that day at all.

"Fancy a dance?" A familiar voice said next to her as the music starting speeding up.

Rory turned to Sam and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"As friends!" He said putting his hands up in mock surrender. "I learnt the hard way earlier today."

Rory smirked. "I don't know..." She said.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Sam said. "And I'm a legend for my dance moves."

"A legend huh?" She smirked.

"Oh yeah! Check these out!" Sam grinned as he started busting some serious dad dancing moves. "I'll keep going until you agree!"

"Ok ok!" Rory laughed. "I'll dance with you!"

"Great!" Sam grinned grabbing her hand and twirling her round.

Rory laughed as they danced and she realised that she was actually having fun. She had been dreading New Year without Tristan but it had actually turend out to be a pretty great day.

As the song came to an end, everyone started counting down from ten as it was nearly midnight. Rory smiled as the countdown reached the end and she saw Luke and her mom, and Charlotte and Jess share a kiss.

"Happy New Year!" Sam smiled at her.

Rory smiled and surprised him with a hug. "Happy New Year, Sam." She said.

"Today's been fun." He said.

"Yeah it has been..." Rory was saying when suddenly her cell started ringing. She glanced up at him. "It's Tristan." She said quietly.

"Go." Sam smiled.

"What?"

"Go talk to your boyfriend." He smiled. "It's fine."

Rory bit her lip before giving him a small smile and rushing off to answer it. Sam sighed as he watched her answer the phone in the distance and he could see the small smile on her face as she was talking.

"Wow, you've fallen for her hard, haven't you?" A familiar voice said next to him.

Sam glanced at Jess and sighed. "It's that obvious huh?" He said.

"Yep." Jess said. He glanced at his friend. "Just...be careful ok? Tristan's a good guy."

"It's fine. It's obvious Rory doesn't like me like that anyway. I'm happy to just be her friend." Sam said just as fireworks started going off. He smiled as he looked up at them. "Dad would have loved this, wouldn't he?" He smiled softly.

Jess smiled. "Yeah. He would have." He said. He glanced at his friend and put his arm round him. "It's nice to have you here."

Sam smiled at him. "It's nice to be here." He said softly, before they both looked back up at the sky to watch the fireworks again.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep reviewing as I love reading what you all think! :) Thanks again for all of your support! :)**


	99. Chapter 99

**Thank you so much for your continued support! When I started this story, I never thought I would get over 600 reviews, I really didn't. So thank you so much! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 96

"Come visit again soon ok?" Charlotte smiled, giving Sam a hug as they stood by his car seeing him off.

"I will. And you two are always welcome in New York." Sam smiled reciprocating her hug and then smiling at Jack. He glanced at Jess. "Don't mess up again ok?" He said smirking slightly. "You'd be a fool to let her go again."

Jess looked abashed. "I won't." He said.

"Good." Sam smirked. "Come here." He said giving him a hug as well. "Thanks for letting me stay. Keep in touch yeah?"

"Of course." Jess said. "Take care of yourself ok?"

"I will." Sam smiled. He was about to get in his car when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. He turned around and saw Rory coming towards them. "I thought you would have left for Yale already." He said.

"I'm about to. But I couldn't go without saying goodbye, could I?" Rory smiled.

"Well I'm glad you couldn't." He said.

"I'm sorry I bailed last night." She apologised.

"It's fine. I'm sure it was nice to talk to Tristan." Sam smiled.

"Yeah. It was." Rory said quietly. She glanced at him. "Anyway, I was wondering if maybe we could exchange numbers?" She said.

"What?" Sam said surprised.

"Well...you did promise me that discount at The Strand and that tour of New York so I need some way of keeping in touch with you." Rory said, smirking slightly.

"Ah so there is a motive!" He laughed. "Here." He said handing her his phone. "Put your number in and then I'll put mine into yours."

"Ok." Rory smiled giving him her phone as well.

"There." Sam smiled handing it back. "See you around, Rory." He smirked. He then waved at Jess and Charlotte before getting into his car and heading off.

Rory watched his car disappear from sight before turning around and smiling at Jess and Charlotte. "I better get off too." She said giving them both a hug.

"Bye sis." Charlotte smiled.

Rory smiled at them. "I'm glad you two are good now." She said sincerely. "You belong together."

"Thanks." Charlotte said softly.

"But let me warn you, if you hurt her again, I'll make sure you wish you were never born." Rory told Jess.

Jess ducked his head ashamed. "Duly noted." He said.

* * *

Lorelai was doing paperwork at home. Now she was nearing her due date, she was taking some time off work but she felt bad leaving Michel and Sookie in the lurch so she decided to do some paperwork from home so that she could still contribute. She was finishing the work for today when the front door opened and slammed. "Luke?" She said confused as she watched her husband storm in and go upstairs. "Luke!" She called. She frowned and slowly heaved herself up from her sitting position and started going upstairs. She found him pacing around in their bedroom. "Luke, what's wrong?"

"I can't believe her!" Luke ranted. "She doesn't tell me about April and now she wants to take her away from me for good? Am I that bad at being a dad?" He exclaimed angrily.

"Ok calm down." Lorelai said softly. "Come on, come sit down."

"Why would she do this to me again? Why?" He exclaimed.

"Luke...please..." She said softly.

Luke let out an exasperated breath but sat down next to her.

"Ok, so I'm guessing you're talking about Anna." Lorelai said. "What's happened?"

"She's moving to New Mexico." Luke said.

"Ok?" Lorelai said.

"Both of them. She's moving both of them to New Mexico." Luke said.

"Oh..." Lorelai said suddenly understanding.

"She kept me from her for 12 years and now she's moving away with her. Am I really that bad at being a dad to April that she wants her to stay away from me?" Luke sighed.

"Luke, no..." Lorelai said softly. "You're an amazing dad and April adores you." She sighed as she looked at her husband's defeated face. "Why are they moving?"

"Anna's mom's not doing so good so she wants to be with her and she wants April to be able to spend as much time with her as possible. I get that, I really do. But...New Mexico..." He sighed. "It's so far."

"How's April taking it?" She asked.

"I don't know. Anna said she wasn't thrilled. I haven't spoken to her since Anna came to see me. I guess I will find out when she comes to visit later today." Luke said.

"Oh yeah, you've got her for the afternoon right?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah." Luke said. "She's got an early swim meeting tomorrow morning though so she's not staying the night."

"Right. Yeah I remember now." Lorelai nodded.

"She's taking my kid away from me again. It's not fair."

"Has she said you can't see her?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

Luke sighed. "No. She's actually being pretty reasonable." He admitted. "She said I can still see her the same amount of times during holiday time. Weekends will obviously be harder but she said April can come at least one weekend every two months and I can go visit any time."

"Well that's good." She smiled softly.

"I know. I know I'm probably overreacting. It's just...It feels like I've only just found her and now she's leaving again. It just...it won't be the same. Sure, she wasn't living with us and I don't see her all the time now but I could. Now it's going to be so different. I can't just get into the car and see her." He sighed. He glanced at Lorelai. "I'm sorry. You don't need the stress right now." He said gesturing to her stomach. "I shouldn't have put this all on you."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. I'm glad you've told me." She smiled, taking hold off her hand. "Look, I know it will be different. I know that. But at least Anna's being reasonable. She could have just said you can't see her but she hasn't. She's actually trying to make it easy for you, believe it or not."

"Yeah I guess." Luke conceded. "I just...I'm going to miss her." He admitted.

"I know." Lorelai said softly. "Come here." She said giving him a hug. "It will be ok. I promise."

"Yeah.." He said quietly.

Lorelai smiled slightly. "Looks like our kid agrees as well. Feel her." She said putting his hand on her stomach.

"I wanted April to get to know her sister. I wanted them to know each other." Luke said.

"They will." Lorelai assured him. "I'll make sure they do."

Luke gave her a small smile. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Kind of." Lorelai smirked, giving him a kiss. "I love you too." She said softly. "Everything will be ok."

* * *

Rory arrived back at Yale and headed up the stairs to her apartment. She was shocked to see who was standing outside it. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, running towards the person and jumping into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you." Tristan chuckled. "And I felt bad I wasn't with you for New Year." He said following her inside.

"Aw that's sweet." She smiled. "You know I didn't mind though, right? I understood that you had to get back."

"I still felt bad." Tristan said.

"So how long can you stay?" Rory asked.

"Just tonight." He admitted.

"What?" She laughed. "You came all this way just to stay here for a night?" She said confused.

"Yeah. Why not? Aren't you pleased to see me?" He said.

"Of course I am!" Rory said. "I'm just...it's like an 8 hour flight!"

"It was worth it." Tristan smiled. "I can go if you want?"

"No, don't you dare!" She laughed. She gave him a kiss. "I'm just surprised. Sorry."

"So what did you do last night?" He asked. "You didn't really say on the phone."

"It wasn't very exciting." Rory shrugged it off. "I just hung out with Charlotte and Jess. Oh, and Sam." She said.

"Sam?" Tristan's ears perked up. "The guy you babysat Jack with."

"Yeah." Rory said. "You know I told you he was visiting Jess."

"Yeah I know. I just didn't realise he was still there." Tristan said.

"Well he left today but yeah, he wanted to spend New Year with Jess."

"Right." He said.

"What?"

"Nothing." He said.

Rory looked at him. "What's the real reason you've come?" She said.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Tristan! You've taken an 8 hour flight to come and see me and you can only stay for the night. What's the point?"

"The point?" He said incredulously. "I thought flying over to see my girlfriend is something she would actually like! I thought you'd be happy to see me!"

"I am happy!" Rory exclaimed. "I'm just confused! Are you jealous, is that it?"

"Jealous? What of?" He snorted.

"Sam." She said.

"Why would I be jealous of him? I don't even know him." Tristan grumbled.

"Because every time I've mentioned him to you, you get all tense and clam up." Rory said. "And when I tell you I've been hanging out with him, you suddenly appear here!"

"Well can you blame me? You don't exactly have the best record!" Tristan snapped.

"I can't believe you just said that." Rory said hurt.

Tristan let out a big breath. "I'm sorry. That was unfair." He sighed. "I just...I'm so far away from you and I hear you're hanging out with another guy. What am I meant to think?"

Rory sighed. "Look, I know I've hurt you before ok?" She said. "With...Logan. What I did to you. It was wrong and I'm sorry. But just think about it, I didn't tell you anything about talking and seeing him right?"

"Well no..."

"But I've told you every time I've hung out with Sam." Rory pointed out.

"You didn't say he was there last night."

"I didn't think to mention it! I was happy you'd rung ok? I was happy. I'm sorry." She said. She sighed. "Sam and I are friends ok? He's offered to give me a tour of New York because he knows I want to end up there. He works at The Strand and he's offered me a discount because he knows I love reading. He's just being nice because he knows I'm Jess' friend and Charlotte's sister. We're just friends."

"Sounds like the perfect match." Tristan grumbled.

"Tristan..."

"I'm sorry. I just...I can't help it! You're amazing, Rory! You're beautiful, you're smart, you're funny! What guy wouldn't want you? And I can't do anything about it because I'm living the other side of the country." He said. He sighed. "I just...I guess I'm finding this long distance thing harder than I thought." He admitted.

"Tristan, I love you." Rory said sincerely. "I've known you since high school and you know how much you mean to me. I know I've made mistakes and I can understand why you'd have doubts but I do love you. Sam's fun ok? I like him. But we're friends. That's it."

"Really?" He said quietly.

"Really." Rory said softly, going forward to give him a kiss. "And for the record, I've missed you too. And I am happy to see you."

Tristan relaxed slightly. "Ok." He said. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She sighed. "You hungry?" She asked.

"I could eat."

"Ok well why don't you go put your bag in my room and I'll order us in some food." Rory said.

"Ok." He said giving her a small smile. "I love you too by the way. And I do trust you."

Rory gave him a small smile. "I know." She assured him. She watched him disappear into her room and she let out a breath. She pulled out her cell to order some food in when she saw there was a message on it from Sam. She opened it hesitantly. **_Thanks for your company while I was in Stars Hollow! I had fun. Let me know when you're free for the tour. I look forward to seeing you again. :) S x_** She sighed and glanced towards her bedroom. She hesitated before deleting the message and then started dialling her local takeout place.

* * *

Luke was back at the diner, working while April was reading at the counter. He glanced over at her. "What are you reading?" He asked.

"Just something for school." She answered glumly.

"Right. Right." Luke said. He sighed. "Look...your mom told me you were moving." He said.

"To New Mexico." April said quietly.

"Yeah it's not so bad. You've been there visiting your grandma before, right?" He said.

"I don't want to move to the desert! It's just, there aren't even any seasons! It's just...it's hot and it's a miserable place! That and I hate it!" She started ranting.

Luke noticed his customers starting to look up at the outburst. "April let's take a walk. Come on." He said softly, leading her outside. "Look I know you're a little upset but this could be a really good thing. I mean the new people you'll meet, the teachers you'll impress." He tried to be positive.

"I'll never see my friends again!" She said.

"Oh of course you will, breaks from school over the summer." He said.

"No, Janie Freedman moved to Virginia at the end of last year because her dad got some teaching job. And she said she'd stay in touch with everybody and she did for like a week. And then after that nobody ever heard from her again!" April said.

"It doesn't have to be like that." Luke said.

"We're moving 2,000 miles away! That's how it's going to work! Mom is ruining my life!" She exclaimed tearfully.

"April..." Luke said softly.

"You know I'm finally happy! I finally have friends. I finally found you! It took me forever and now I'm just going to be that weird, dorky, dad-less, loser girl all over again!" She exclaimed, crying into his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine." Luke comforted her.

"Why aren't you upset? I won't be able to see you anymore and you act like me moving to New Mexico is the best thing ever!" She exclaimed.

"It's not like that." Luke sighed.

"Why are you agreeing to it? Why are you letting mom take me away from you again?" April sniffed.

"April, I was devastated when your mom came to see me this morning to tell me about the move. If you don't believe me, ask Lorelai." He said.

April sighed. "Sorry." She said quietly.

"Look, I'm not happy that you're moving so far away from me. Especially since it seems like yesterday when I found out about you." Luke said. "But...your mom wants to be with your grandma. I can understand that. When my dad was sick, I wanted to be with him 24/7. I get why she wants to go." He said softly.

April wiped some tears away. "I said some horrible things to her." She admitted ashamed.

"To who? Your mom?" Luke asked.

"I was just so angry. I thought she was deliberately doing it so that I couldn't see you anymore." April admitted. "I know she isn't. Her and grandma are close, I know she wants to be with her. I want to see Grandma more as well but I'm going to miss you. And my friends."

"I'm going to miss you too." He said softly. "But the first thing your mom said to me was that she would make sure we could still see each other."

"She did?" April said surprised.

"Yeah, she did. She feels bad taking you away from your friends and from your home. She wants to make it as easy for you as she can." Luke said. "It will be different, yeah. But I will make sure I see you as much as you want. And you can still come and visit here. You've got a sister coming. I want you to know her."

April sniffed slightly. "I want that too." She said quietly.

"I know it's going to be different but it will be ok. I promise." Luke said softly, giving her a hug.

"I love you, dad." She said.

Luke felt a lump in his throat. "I love you too, kid." He said softly, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

Charlotte let out a breath as she collapsed onto the couch that evening after putting Jack down for the night. "Who knew being parents would wear you out, huh?" She joked.

Jess chuckled. "Wouldn't change it for the world though right?" He said.

Charlotte smiled. "Never." She said softly.

"So...my mom rang earlier." He admitted.

"Oh?" Charlotte said, turning to him. "And?"

"She wants me to meet Doula." He told her.

Charlotte nodded. "I guess I can understand that." She said cautiously. She glanced at him. "What did you say?"

Jess sighed. "I said ok."

"You did?" She said surprised.

"I guess I need to have that talk with her at some point." He said. He glanced at her. "Will you come with me?" He asked.

"Me?" Charlotte said surprised.

"I just...you're good at keeping me calm and talking sense into me. I mean I know last time my mom came up, I messed up with you but..." He sighed. "I'm worried I'll say something I'll regret." He admitted. "And I want you to meet Doula as well."

Charlotte smiled. "Of course I'll come. Whatever you need." She said softly.

"Thanks." Jess said gratefully. "This weekend ok?"

"Yeah fine." Charlotte smiled. She watched as Jess smiled at her and turned back to the tv. "Hey Jess?" She said softly.

"Yeah?" He said turning back to her.

"Doula's lucky to have you as her brother." She smiled softly.

Jess gave her a small smile. "Thanks." He said softly.

Charlotte smiled and leant her head on his shoulder as they both turned their attention back to the tv, snuggling up for the evening.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) I still can't believe I'm over 600 reviews. It's so overwhelming so thank you so much for all your support! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think and they do really motivate me! :)**


	100. Chapter 100

**Thank you so much for all your continued support! I know I sound like a broken record but it really does me so much to me. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 97

Charlotte glanced across at Jess in the car as they were parked outside Liz's house, where they had been sat for 15 minutes. "You ok?" She asked.

Jess just shrugged.

"You know, you don't have to do this today. You can come back another time." Charlotte said.

"No, I need to do this now or I never will." Jess said. "I just...I'm worried this will set me back." He admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been good at controlling my anger but I'm worried seeing her and having to talk to her about stuff is going to bring up past issues. You and I are good again and I don't want to ruin that. I don't want to get angry and take it out on you again. I don't want to lose you again." He said quietly.

"Hey.." She said softly, taking hold of his hand. "You're not going to lose me. I'm here for you ok? Whatever happens."

Jess gave her a small smile and glanced at the house. "Well I guess we should go in..." He sighed.

"It'll be fine." Charlotte reassured him as they finally got out of the car.

They went up to the front door and knocked on it. Liz answered it quickly. "You're here! My boy is here!" She gushed giving Jess a big hug.

"Hey." Jess sighed.

"And Charlotte! It's so good to see you!" She enthused giving her a hug as well. "Where's my grandson?" She asked.

"Oh..uh..he's with my mom." Charlotte said.

"Yeah..uh..we didn't think we should bring him today." Jess said.

"Why not?" Liz asked.

"Because I came to meet Doula like you wanted me to and then I need to talk to you." Jess said.

"Oh.." She said taken aback. "Ok..well come in. Doula's in the living room with TJ."

Charlotte reached and took Jess' hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they followed Liz through to the living room.

"There he is!" TJ smiled getting up with Doula. "This is your big brother, Doula."

"You're going to love him." Liz enthused, giving Doula's cheek a little squeeze.

"Would you like to hold her?" TJ asked.

"Oh no, it's ok." Jess said quickly.

"Aw come on, she wants to be held by her big brother!" TJ said.

"Yeah go on Jess." Liz smiled.

Jess sighed. "Fine." He said taking her from TJ.

"She's beautiful." Charlotte smiled.

"She is, isn't she?" Liz smiled proudly. "And she's such an angel as well!"

"Unlike me then." Jess grumbled.

"Oh shush you! You know that's not what I meant!" Liz said.

Jess looked down at his sister and couldn't help but smile when she smiled up at him. "Hey sis." He said softly. He glanced at her mom. "She's great." He said.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Hey I want hold, don't hog her!" Charlotte grinned. Jess smirked and handed her over. "She's so cute!" She smiled. She glanced at Jess. "Remember when Jack was this size?"

"Of course." Jess smiled softly. He glanced over at TJ. "Do you mind taking Doula out for a bit? I need to talk to Liz." He said.

"Uh..sure." TJ said taking Doula back. "I'll take her to the park. I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah see you." Jess said.

"Thanks hon." Liz smiled at her husband. Once TJ had left, she glanced back at her son. "So this talk, it sounds dubious..." She said hesitantly.

"Well..." Jess said.

"Look, if this is about me not telling you that I was pregnant, I am sorry about that. I honestly thought I had told you!" She said.

"No it's not about that. Well it is a bit but...well..." Jess said but stopped. He glanced at Charlotte who gave him an encouraging nod. "I've been seeing a therapist." He told her.

"What?" Liz laughed.

"I've been seeing a therapist. Once a week for about six months now." He said.

"Why on earth would you go see a therapist?" She laughed.

"Oh let me see, probably because my mother messed me up so much that I cheated on Charlotte and because of that, we separated for months!" Jess snapped.

"What?" Liz said shocked. "You cheated on Charlotte?" She said looking between them. "Jess, I didn't bring you up to be like one of those guys!"

Jess laughed bitterly. "Bring me up? You didn't bring me up at all! Sam and his dad did!" He said angrily.

"Oh come on!"

"No you come on!" Jess said angrily. "You messed me up! You're the reason I'm a total screw up!"

"Jess..." Charlotte said softly, taking hold of his hands. "Breathe...like Melissa taught you yeah?"

Jess took a deep breath and let it out. "You used to leave me in the flat by myself either alone or with strange men." He told his mom. "You spent all our money on booze and drugs. We never had any left to spend on food!"

"We ate!" Liz said.

"No, you ate! Your so called boyfriends would bring food for you. What about me? I went to school just so I could have food!" Jess exclaimed. "It took me ages to tell Sam I never ate but him and his dad soon worked it out and everyday there would be a plate of leftover food from their dinner which apparently Tim would make too much of." He said. "I knew though! I knew they knew. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

"I..uh.." Liz said quietly.

"I used to come back from school and find you having sex in the living room!" Jess continued. "Oh or beating you up! Do you know what your so called boyfriends would do to me when I tried to stop them? Of course you don't because you were too drunk and high to realise. They would beat me up too, mom! I was terrified! I was terrified to step foot in that flat because I knew it would end up in a beating. And all because I was trying to defend you!" He exclaimed. He snorted. "Why I even tried is beyond me!"

"Because she was your mom." Charlotte said softly.

Jess glanced at her and realised that he hadn't told her all of this stuff before. "Charlotte..." He said quietly.

She just gave him a reassuring smile. "You defended her because she's your mom." She repeated softly.

"Jess..." Liz said quietly.

"What?" He snapped.

"I...uh...I never knew..." She said.

"Of course you didn't, because you only cared about yourself." Jess said quietly. "The one good thing you actually did for me was send me to Luke."

"Jess, I'm so so sorry." Liz said quietly, sniffing slightly.

Jess sighed. "Well you don't need to cry about it." He said uncomfortably.

"You were right. I did only think about myself and that was so wrong. I had you so young...I couldn't cope..."

"Don't play that card!" He said. "Lorelai had Rory and Charlotte young and she coped! And she had to bring up two kids!"

"I know!" Liz exclaimed. "I was a rubbish mom, I know I was!"

"Don't play the pity card now. It's not going to work." Jess grumbled.

Liz sighed. "Jess, I was young. I made mistakes, big mistakes." She said. "It didn't mean I didn't love you though. I've always loved you." She said softly.

"Funny way of showing it." Jess said crossing his arms against his chest.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I know an apology isn't going to make everything better. I know it isn't. But it's the best I can do right now. I don't know what else I can do!"

Jess slowly uncrossed his arms. "You made me feel worthless. You made me feel unwanted." He said quietly.

Liz blinked back tears. "I'm so..."

"Sorry, yeah I know." Jess said. He glanced at her and sighed. "My therapist...Melissa...she says my anger comes from my resentment about what happened in the past..."

"And you've been talking to her about everything?" Liz asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." He said awkwardly.

"And...it's helped?" She asked cautiously.

"She's helped me control my anger, yeah." He nodded. "But...she said I needed to talk to you. Really talk to you." He said.

"Right..." Liz said quietly. "I thought we'd sorted stuff out. We were good. We'd been talking since my wedding..." She said. "Stupid really..."

"Well it would have helped if you had bothered to show up for our wedding." Jess grumbled.

"I was working! I couldn't get away!" Liz said. "I told Luke and I rang you..."

"Yeah I know..." Jess said. "But it would have been nice to have my mom at my wedding. I guess I was hoping you'd show up anyway."

Liz was quiet and glanced at both of them. "I should have." She said. "And for that, I really am sorry. I should have been there."

Jess just nodded. He let out another breath. "We were good." He said quietly. "But this...anger...it's eaten me up for years. I needed to do something about it especially when...well when I lost Charlotte... I knew I had to do something." He said glancing at Charlotte.

"I never knew..." Liz said quietly. "I...I should never have shipped you off to Stars Hollow. I didn't know how it would make you feel..."

"No, that was the one thing you actually did right, like I said before. Before Stars Hollow, I never...well I didn't know what love was. And I never knew what it was like to have someone care for me until...well until Luke." Jess said. "I mean, I had Tim but that was different.."

Liz sighed and went to sit next to him. She hesitantly took one of his hands. "Jess..." She said quietly.

"I'm..uh..I'm just going to get a glass of water." Charlotte said softly, knowing they should have some space.

"Kitchen's through there." Liz pointed.

"Thanks." She smiled and then left them to it.

Liz turned to Jess. "I didn't think about how my actions would affect you. Of course they were going to. I...I know it doesn't mean much but I am genuinely sorry for the hurt I've caused you."

Jess glanced at her and could see the sincerity in her face and sighed. "I know." He said quietly.

"I love you so much and I want to make it up to you. And I want you to see Doula. I want her to know what an amazing big brother she has." Liz said.

"She is great." Jess said quietly.

Liz smiled. "I know." She said softly. "I want you to know how proud I am of you as well." She said. "The two books you've published and that publishing house." She said, getting up and grabbing two things from her shelves.

"You bought my books?" Jess said surprised.

"Of course I bought them! This is amazing, Jess. What you have achieved in your life, despite what you've had to go through with me. This is amazing and I am so so proud of you." She said softly.

Jess felt his eyes well up but managed to blink the tears away. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that." He said quietly.

"Come here." Liz said softly, pulling him in for a hug. Jess tensed slightly but gradually relaxed in his mom's embrace. "I am so sorry. For everything."

"I've only ever wanted a mom. A proper mom." He said quietly. "That's all I wanted. A mom."

"Well I'm here now. If you'll have me?" She said. "I'll even go to your therapist with you if you want."

"Even if you think therapists are stupid and don't help anyone?" Jess said smirking slightly.

Liz smiled at that. "Well this therapist has obviously helped you." She said. "And I want to prove to you that I want to make this up to you."

"Thanks." He said quietly. "But you don't have to."

"But..."

"This was enough." Jess said. "This is what I needed." He said.

Liz glanced through to the kitchen. "Charlotte is great." She said softly.

Jess smiled slightly. "Yeah she is." He said softly. "I'm going to make sure I never mess that up again."

"I'm sure you won't." Liz said.

Later that day, Charlotte and Jess left to go home. "So...how do you feel?" She asked.

"I don't know." Jess said honestly.

"But you're glad you went? You're glad you talked?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jess admitted. "I...uh...I do actually feel better."

"Good." Charlotte smiled softly.

He smiled across at her. "Thank you for coming with me. It really helped." He said softly.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

* * *

A month passed and Stars Hollow was full of hay because of the huge Hay Bale Maze, Taylor had organised. Everyone had thought it was such a silly idea but it ended up being a bit hit. Rory had come home for it and Tristan had met her in Stars Hollow for it as well after getting a few days off work. She was walking through Stars Hollow with him when they bumped into Charlotte, Jess, Jack and Sam.

"Hey! You didn't tell me you were coming!" Rory smiled at Sam.

"Well it was sort of a spontaneous visit." Sam said. "Plus you haven't exactly been replying to my texts."

"And why would she be texting you?" Tristan frowned.

"Oh no, Tristan, this is Sam!" Rory said quickly. "Sam, this is Tristan."

"Ah, the boyfriend." Sam said. He held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you. Rory's told me a lot about you."

"Likewise." Tristan grunted but shook his hand.

"So have you guys gone through the maze yet?" Rory asked changing to subject.

"Jess and I have." Charlotte smiled. "It's actually pretty cool!"

"How about you?" Rory asked Sam.

"Not yet."

"Well Tristan and I are just heading to it now. Want to join us?" Rory asked.

"Why would he?" Tristan said. "I thought we were going to do it together, just the two of us."

"Well what's the harm in Sam coming?" Rory frowned.

"It's cool! I'll just do it another time." Sam said.

"Good." Tristan said.

"Stop being so stubborn! You're here for a few days! We've got lots of time to do coupley things!" Rory said. "Come on, you're welcome to join us!" She told Sam.

"Uh..ok. Well thanks." Sam said feeling a bit awkward.

"Hey Rory, Charlotte!" Luke suddenly called coming up to them. "You haven't seen your mom, have you?"

"No, why? I thought she was with you." Charlotte said.

"She went off to try the Hay Bale Maze but that was ages ago now. She's been having twinges. She said she was fine but I'm worried. So you haven't see her?"

"No, sorry." Rory said. "She might have gone home."

"Yeah, maybe." He sighed. "I'll try the home phone."

"I'll try her cell." Charlotte said.

* * *

Tristan, Rory and Sam were entering the maze when they stopped at the first junction of it. "So which way?" She smiled.

"Left." Tristan said.

"Right." Sam said in unison with Tristan.

Rory smirked. "So left or right?" She laughed.

Sam saw Tristan glaring at him and just laughed. "Look, how about you two go left and I'll go right?" He suggested. "See who gets to the end first."

"You sure?" Rory said.

"Of course he's sure!" Tristan said. "Let's go." He said leading her off to the left.

Sam smirked and just shook his head before turning right. He started finding his way through the maze when suddenly he turned down a dead end and saw Lorelai holding herself up with the hay bales. "Lorelai?" He said.

"Sam..." She gasped, panting. "Am I glad to see you..." She said.

"Are you ok? Luke's been looking for you." He said rushing up to her.

"I..uh..I think I'm in labour..." Lorelai panted.

"What?" Sam said shocked. "Uh ok...just hold on!" He said pulling out his cell and dialling a number. "Yeah ambulance please! Yeah, my friend's mom's in labour I think..."

"You think? You want to be in my position and then say you think?" Lorelai breathed out, in pain.

Sam smirked slightly. "Sorry. She is in labour. Definitely. Yeah ok, we're in Stars Hollow, in the Hay Bale Maze. You won't miss it. Ok thanks."

"I want Luke..." She gasped, reaching for Sam's hand for support.

"Ok, I'll call Rory." Sam said. She dialled another number and hoped she would answer but it went to voicemail. He had a feeling Tristan might have had something to do with it. He sighed and then dialled another number. "Jess, hey! It's me! Listen, you have to go get Luke! I'm with Lorelai in the maze, she's gone into labour. Ok thanks. Hurry!" He said. He turned to Lorelai. "Jess has gone to get Luke." He said. "Rory's in the maze somewhere with Tristan. Should I go and find her?" He said going to walk away.

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed, reaching for his arm. "Please..." She said. "Don't leave me..."

Sam saw the scared look on her face and went back over to her. "Ok. I won't leave, I promise." He assured her. "The ambulance will be here soon."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming! They really do mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	101. Chapter 101

**Thank you so much for all your support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 98

"Lorelai!" Luke's voice was heard calling through the maze, after a few minutes.

"Luke! Over here!" Sam called. "Over here!"

Luke appeared after a few moments. "Lorelai!" He said rushing forward.

"Something's wrong." Lorelai blinked back tears. "There's too much pain. Something's wrong!"

"Try not to worry." Luke said trying to stay calm. He then heard the sirens. "The ambulance is here. You'll be ok, you hear me? You and the baby will be just fine." He reassured her. He glanced at Sam's concerned face. "Help me get her out?"

Sam just nodded and took one arm and he and Luke managed to guide her out of the maze just as the ambulance arrived.

"MOM!" Charlotte exclaimed rushing forward.

"She's gone into labour. We need to get her to hospital." Luke told her. "Could you and Jess pop back to the house and get her hospital bag and then meet us there?"

"Yeah of course. But is she ok?" Charlotte asked concerned, seeing her mom's scared face.

"She'll be fine." Luke assured. He looked at Jess. "You drive ok?"

Jess nodded. "Come on." He said softly to Charlotte. "The faster we get the bag, the faster we can get to the hospital." He said.

Sam watched as they rushed off. "I'll go find Rory and let her know what's happening." He told Luke and Lorelai as the paramedics came out and helped her into the ambulance.

"Thanks." Luke said.

"Yeah...thanks Sam." Lorelai said giving him a grateful look.

"Good luck yeah?" Sam said awkwardly. He watched the ambulance drive away when he spotted Rory and Tristan appear from the maze.

"What's going on?" Rory said.

"It's your mom. She's gone into labour. I found her in the maze." Sam told her.

"What? Is she ok?" Rory asked.

"I don't know." Sam said hesitantly. "She..uh..she felt like something was wrong."

"Oh my god..." Rory said quietly.

"I did try to ring you." Sam said.

"You did?" Rory frowned. "My phone was on silent. Wait, you were on it for a bit? Didn't you see him ringing?" She asked Tristan.

Sam glanced at Tristan and immediately knew he had obviously declined the call. "I..uh..I didn't know it was about you mom..." Tristan said somewhat guiltily.

"You deliberately didn't answer?" Rory demanded angrily. "Why would you do that? My mom could be in trouble!" She exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! I..."

"Oh just forget it! I need to get to the hospital." Rory snapped. "Will you take me?" She asked Sam.

"I can take you." Tristan said.

"No. Right now, I can't even look at you." She snapped angrily. "Sam?"

"Yeah..uh..yeah I can take you. Come on." He said.

* * *

Lorelai was wheeled into her own room with Luke hot on her heels. "Something's wrong. I can feel it." Lorelai told the doctors.

"Ok try not to worry. We'll do an ultrasound and see what's going on." The doctor said kindly, getting the equipment ready. "Now let's take a look."

Lorelai reached for Luke's hand, who squeezed hers in support and gave her a smile.

"Ok, well there seems to be some bleeding and the baby's heart rate is a bit abnormal." The doctor said after a while.

"Bleeding? That's not good right?" Luke said slightly alarmed.

"Sometimes you get bleeding, try not to worry."

"The baby...she will be ok, won't she?" Lorelai said worried.

"Well I would recommend an emergency caesarean just to be on the safe side so we can get her out quickly." The doctor said. "You need to stay calm though, Lorelai. If you're stressed, the baby will feel it. I know it's easier said than done, but it will really help the baby."

"After the caesarean...she will be ok?" Lorelai questioned quietly.

"I believe she should be perfectly healthy yes. I think she's just a bit keen to meet her parents." The doctor smiled at her. "Now I'll go see if there's a surgery free and then I'll come and prep you ok?"

"Uh..ok..." Lorelai said.

"Oh and you did good reacting so quickly when you found your life. If she was left for longer, there could be a totally different story." The doctor told Luke. "Well done."

"Oh...well, that wasn't me..." Luke said.

"Well then thank whoever what he did. He might have saved your wife and baby's life." She said.

Lorelai watched her leave and then glanced at Luke. "Are you ok?"

"What? Oh...yeah." Luke said in a slight daze. "I don't get it. You've not had any complications with your pregnancy at all."

"These things can happen." She said quietly. "I just...I never expected I would need a caesarean."

"Surgery..." Luke said quietly.

"Hey..." She said softly, knowing he was probably thinking about when his parents were here. "We'll be fine."

Luke sighed. "I should be the one reassuring you." He said.

"You did." Lorelai said. "All the way here, you did. I don't know how you were so calm."

"Because I needed to be." Luke smiled slightly. He chuckled slightly. "Only you would insist on going through the hay bale maze knowing you might be going into labour..."

Lorelai smiled at that. "Well that's me." She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Go tell the girls what's happening. They'll be worried." She said softly.

"I don't want to leave you." Luke said.

"I'll be ok for a few minutes. Please Luke? I don't want them waiting out there, worrying." She said. "And...thank Sam for me yeah?"

Luke nodded. "Ok." He said softly. He leant down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be right back."

"Ok hon." She smiled, letting out a deep breath once he'd left. She was scared but she couldn't show Luke that. She didn't want him to worry as well.

* * *

Luke went into the waiting room and saw that Charlotte, Jess who was holding Jack, Rory and Sam had all arrived. Charlotte saw him straight away. "How is she?" She asked, getting up along with Rory.

"She's ok." Luke said. "The doctor wants to do an emergency caesarean just to be on the safe side as they're worried about some bleeding and a bit of an abnormal heart rate." He explained. He saw their worried faces. "They said there's no reason why the baby won't be perfectly healthy once she's here. I promise you, I'll take good care of your mom. I'll be by her side the whole time." He said softly.

"They really will be ok?" Rory asked quietly.

"The doctor's confident they will be fine." Luke assured her. He glanced at Sam. "Although she also said that it was down to the reaction times of the person who found her." He said seeing Sam glance over at him. "She said it could have been a whole different story if we hadn't gotten her here as fast as we did. So...thank you." He said sincerely.

"I just did what anyone would have done." Sam tried to shrug it off.

"Well your actions may well have saved Lorelai and the baby's life so thank you. We owe you a lot." Luke said, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.

"So long as she's ok..." Sam said.

"Ok, well I should get back in. Your mom just wanted to let you know what was happening." Luke said.

"Thanks." Charlotte said.

Luke could see they were still worried. "Your mom's tough. She will get through this." He assured them. "I promise you I won't let anything happen to her or the baby."

"We believe you." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah go be with mom. She needs you right now." Charlotte said, sitting down next to Jess who put his arm round her.

"Ok. Try not to worry ok? I'll keep you updated. She should be going for it soon." Luke said before disappearing back to the room.

Rory let out a breath before sitting down on a seat. Charlotte glanced over at her and looked at Jess who nodded. "Sam, let's go get some drinks. We will probably be here a while." He said standing up with Jack. "And this one could do with a change."

Sam glanced at Rory and Charlotte and knew they needed some space so he nodded and followed Jess.

Charlotte went and sat next to her sister. "You heard Luke. They'll be fine." She said.

"I can't believe Tristan declined Sam's call. I mean who does that? Mom was in pain!" Rory said.

"He wasn't to know really, was he?" Charlotte said cautiously. "I mean, Tristan loves mom. If he had known she was in trouble, he would have answered."

"He's been so jealous of Sam. It's getting too much." Rory admitted.

"Well...you and Sam have been hanging out a lot together. If you found out Tristan was hanging out with a girl, you'd be jealous wouldn't you?" She said hesitantly.

Rory sighed. "Probably." She admitted. "Sam and I are just friends though. I haven't even known him that long. He makes me laugh, yeah, and I enjoy hanging out with him but I haven't even thought about him in that way." She said honestly. "It's not just that though. This long distance thing is really hard. I know we knew it would be hard but it's really hard. We keep missing calls to each other, we never know when we will be able to see each other next and I...I don't know..." She sighed. "It's not working."

"Aw Ror..." Charlotte said softly putting her arm around her. "I'm sorry."

"I love Tristan, I really do. But this shouldn't have to be so much effort." She said quietly. "Should it?" She said glancing at Charlotte.

"I'm not getting involved." She said. "Just do what you think is best for you. That's all I'll say. I'm here for you whatever."

Rory gave her a tremulous smile. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly.

"Looks like someone couldn't stay away." Charlotte said gesturing to someone who had just appeared.

Rory looked up to see Tristan stood there awkwardly. "Hey..." She said quietly.

"Hey.." He said awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I know you said you didn't want me here but I had to know what was going on..."

Rory sighed but nodded. She glanced at Charlotte. "We should call Grandma and Grandpa." She said.

"I'll do it." Charlotte nodded. "And I'll ring Sookie as well."

Just then Luke came out again. "They're taking her down now." He informed her.

"How's she doing?" Rory asked.

"She's ok. Trying to stay calm. The baby's heart rate seems to have normalised a bit." He said.

"That's good." Charlotte said relieved.

"I need to go but I just wanted you to know." Luke said.

"Thanks Luke." Charlotte smiled softly. "We'll wait here."

Luke nodded and headed off.

Rory watched as Charlotte went off to sit with Jess who had come back with Sam with some drinks. She smiled slightly as she saw Sam making faces as Jack as he was sat on his lap. She glanced up at Tristan and stood up. "I'm hungry. Want to come to the canteen with me?" She asked.

"Sure." He said and followed her.

"Are they ok?" Jess asked Charlotte as he watched Rory and Tristan walk off.

"I don't know." She said honestly, sighing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory and Tristan had gotten some food and went to sit down at a table. "Why does this feel like it's not going to end well?" Tristan said chuckling nervously.

Rory sighed. "Tristan..."

"If this is about the call, I am genuinely sorry. I just...I'd missed you and I wanted to spend some time with you by myself. But I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"It's not just about that." Rory said. "This hasn't been working for a while..."

"What do you mean?" Tristan said.

"You know what I mean! Us! Even you said the long distance thing was taking its toll." She said. "And your jealousy..."

"I apologised about that!" He defended.

"I know." Rory said. "I just...I don't feel it's working. I...I just think we were right breaking up the first time."

"You really want to break up?" Tristan said quietly.

"No." She said honestly. "But I don't see how this is going to work." She said. She glanced at me. "Answer me honestly, is this how you thought our relationship would end up? Us missing each other's calls, us not seeing each other a lot..."

"No." He conceded. He looked at her sadly. "I do love you though."

"And I love you." She said sincerely. "I'm always going to care about you Tristan. You've been a huge part of my life. I just...I feel like we're forcing it to work now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Tristan sighed. He looked up at her. "I am really sorry about the call. You know how much I like your mom..."

"It's fine." She said quietly. "Look, I can't blame you for being jealous of Sam. To be honest, if you were hanging out with a girl a lot, I'd probably be jealous too. But that's just another reason why this isn't healthy."

"Yeah I know." He finally admitted. "I guess I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I didn't want to lose you."

"I do love you Tristan." Rory said softly. "I really do. I just...I think it's time to call it quits."

Tristan swallowed a lump in his throat but just nodded. "Yeah..." He managed to get out.

"I wish it could be different..." She said, blinking back tears.

"Me too." He said softly. "I..uh..I guess I should go..."

"You don't have to go right now..." Rory said.

"No I do. If I don't, I never will." He admitted.

"Ok." She said quietly.

"I really hope your mom and the baby are ok." Tristan said sincerely. "I..uh..I know we probably won't be in touch after this but can you just send me a text to let me know she's ok?"

Rory gave him a small smile and nodded. "Ok." She said.

"Thanks." He said, getting up. "No regrets right?"

Rory smiled and gave him a hug. "None at all. Good luck with everything yeah?"

"You too. Take New York by storm yeah?" He smiled softly.

"Well I don't know about that but thanks." She said laughing slightly. "Take care, yeah?"

"Yeah. You too." Tristan said. He gave Rory another hug before slowly turning and walking out of the canteen.

Rory blinked back tears before slowly walking back to the waiting area. She caught Charlotte's eye and just shook her head slightly. Charlotte immediately got up and gave her sister a hug. "I'm sorry." Charlotte said softly.

"It was for the best." Rory said quietly.

"I'm still sorry." She said.

"Thanks." She said softly.

"Want to have a cuddle with your nephew?" Charlotte smiled. "It seems he's good for cheering people up."

Rory laughed and went to sit with them all, next to Charlotte and Sam, the latter giving Jack over to her. "Hey little guy... Are you ready to have a new auntie?" She smiled.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Luke asked Lorelai softly, kneeling down and holding her hand as the caesarean was under way.

"I'm ok, I think." Lorelai said quietly. "This just isn't what I imagined the birth to be like..." She admitted. She smirked slightly. "How are you doing? I see you're deliberately keeping your eyes up here."

Luke chuckled slightly. "I'm comforting you." He said.

Lorelai smiled. "Nothing to do with the fact that hospitals and procedures make you faint, no?" She teased.

"I can go if you want." He smirked.

"No thanks." She grinned.

Luke shook his head. "Only you would make jokes during a caesarean." He chuckled.

"It's keeping my mind off everything." Lorelai admitted.

Luke smiled and took her hand again, kissing it. "Everything will be ok." He said softly.

"I know." She said quietly, just as a cry was heard in the room. She let out a breath. "Is she ok?" She asked immediately.

"She's great." The mid wife smiled, showing her over the screen to Lorelai.

"Oh my god...she's beautiful." Lorelai breathed, feeling tears in her eyes. "Isn't she?" She said to Luke.

"Yeah...uh...amazing..." Luke said a bit at a loss to what to say.

"We'll just clean her up a bit and then we'll get her on your chest." The mid wife said.

Luke smiled and kissed Lorelai's forehead. "You did it. She's here."

"Yeah..." Lorelai said softly. "She's here..."

* * *

Everyone in the waiting room looked up as Luke appeared. "She's here. She's amazing. Your mom's fine, they're just closing her up." He smiled.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte squealed jumping up and giving him a hug. "Mom's really ok?"

"She's great. Very relieved and a bit tired but good." He assured her.

"Thank god." Rory said giving him a hug as well. "Congratulations daddy." She said smirking slightly.

Luke chuckled. "It doesn't seem real." He admitted.

"Go be with mom and our new sister." Charlotte smiled.

"I'll come and get you when we're back up in the room and your mom's ready for visitors." Luke said.

"Ok. Grandma and Grandpa are on their way by the way." Charlotte smiled. "Congratulations Luke." She said softly.

"Thanks." He smiled softly.

Charlotte and Rory sat back down once he disappeared and they grinned at each other. "We've got another sister." Charlotte grinned.

"I know. It's so cool!" Rory smiled.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai was recovering in her own room, their daughter nestled in her arms as Luke sat by the side of the bed. She smiled at him. "She's amazing." She said.

"I know." Luke smiled.

"Here. Have a hold." She said softly, handing her over. She smiled as she watched her husband smile down at their daughter.

"Hey beautiful." Luke said softly, placing a kiss on his daughter's forehead. He smiled at Lorelai and leant across to give her a kiss. "You're beautiful too."

"Please." Lorelai laughed. "I've just had surgery!"

"You're always beautiful to me." He said softly.

Just then the door opened and Charlotte poked her head round. "Can we come in?" She asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Of course, come in!"

The four of them came in, Charlotte and Rory rushing over to give their mom a hug. Jess held back a bit with Sam, who was carrying Sam.

"She's so cute!" Charlotte cooed over their new sister who was happily sleeping in Luke's arms.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Rory asked.

Lorelai and Luke exchanged a look and smiled and Lorelai nodded. "Yeah we have." She said softly. "Charlotte, Rory, meet your new sister, Mia Emily Danes."

"Oh my god, Mia's going to be touched!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"She is so a Mia." Rory smiled.

"Isn't she?" Lorelai smiled.

"So will Grandma." Charlotte smiled softly. "They're on their way by the way. I wasn't sure if you'd want us to call her but I know they'd want to know."

"No it's fine. Thank you." Lorelai said softly.

"So Jess, is Mia your sister-in-law or your cousin?" Sam said making everyone laugh.

"Shut up." Jess smirked.

"Hey, I'm just trying to get my head round the family's relationships!" Sam grinned.

Jess just shook his head. "She's great." He smiled at his uncle.

"Thanks." Luke smiled.

"We need a photo!" Charlotte exclaimed, pulling out a camera from the bag they had brought.

"I'll take it." Sam offered.

"No way, you saved my life. You're in this photo!" Lorelai said. She smiled at a nurse who had come in. "Excuse me, could you possibly take a photo of us?"

"Of course." The nurse smiled, taking the camera.

Sam went and stood next to Rory. "I'm sorry about Tristan." He said quietly.

"Thanks." Rory gave him a small smile.

"Ok on three!" The nurse said. "One, two, three..."

 **So I hope you liked the new arrival! :) I'm not a medical expert so please be kind! I did do as much research as I could. Please keep reviewing as I love reading what you have to say so thank you! :)**


	102. Chapter 102

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Just to say I'm starting a new job tomorrow so my updates may not be as often as they have been but I'm hoping to still get chapters up as quickly as I can. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 99

After a couple of days in hospital, Lorelai was finally able to take Mia home. Luke came and collected her from the hospital, using her jeep, and drove them back home. They went inside and Lorelai gasped at what she saw. There was a banner saying _Welcome to your new home, Mia!_ and Charlotte, Rory, Jess, Jack, Sam, Sookie and Jackson, and Emily and Richard.

"Did you organise this?" Lorelai asked Luke softly.

"They wanted to welcome you home properly." Luke said.

"How are you feeling, mom?" Charlotte asked rushing forward to give her a hug.

"I'm good. A bit sore and a bit tired but happy." Lorelai smiled.

"Let us have a sister cuddle!" Rory grinned rushing over and smiling down at Mia.

"Go ahead but be quiet, she's just fallen asleep." Lorelai said.

As the welcome home party progressed, everyone had a cuddle with Mia, even Emily and Richard who were smitten with their new granddaughter. Emily had been touched when she found out Mia's middle name was Emily. She never thought Lorelai would ever name a kid after her. It even made the fact that her new granddaughter was named after Mia, Lorelai's so called surrogate mom, a little easier to process. She had heard how much Mia meant to Luke as well so she could sort of understand their decision.

Rory was getting a drink from the kitchen when she saw Sam come in. "You off back to Yale this evening?" He asked.

"Yeah. I just wanted to be here to welcome them home." Rory said. "How about you? Back to New York?"

"Yep, my job calls." Sam said. He glanced at her. "The offer's still there by the way if you want a tour of New York."

"You mean so you can find another way to charm me now Tristan's off the scene?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"No. I just thought you might still like it." Sam shrugged. "Your choice." He said walking off.

* * *

The weekend came and Rory found herself standing outside The Strand in New York. She slowly entered the book store and walked through the shelves of books. She suddenly saw Sam working behind the till, laughing with the girl next to him. She frowned as she watched Sam mess around and then give the girl a playful nudge and then hugged her. Rory wasn't sure how she felt seeing that. She was about to turn and leave when Sam spotted her.

"Hey! You decided to come!" Sam smiled coming over to her.

"Well you did invite me." Rory said.

"I did but I wasn't sure you'd actually come." Sam said. "What do you think?" He smiled gesturing around.

"It's great." Rory said genuinely. "I've always wanted to come to this place."

"Well now you're here." He smiled.

"You seem to like working here." Rory commented.

"Huh?" Sam said confused.

"Well who's the girl?" She said.

"Which girl?"

"The girl you were messing around and laughing with."

"Oh you mean Chloe?" Sam said.

"Oh is that her name?" Rory said. "Well it looked like you were having fun."

Sam frowned. "Well yeah...we get on well." He said.

"She's pretty." Rory said.

"I'm sorry but why does this have anything to do with you?" Sam frowned.

"What do you mean? I didn't say it did." Rory said, crossing her arms. "I just think it's rich."

"I'm sorry, rich?" Sam laughed.

"Well you've been coming onto me since the day you met me and now you're messing around with another girl. Talk about mixed signals!" Rory said.

"Mixed signals?" Sam laughed. "You can talk! One day you're nice to me and it feels like we're really getting along and then the next you're totally blanking me. You're the one messing with my feelings. You've made it really clear that you don't like me in that way. I get it. Message received. So why should you be bothered about me supposedly moving on?" He said angrily.

"I'm not bothered." Rory snapped.

"Good."

"Good." Rory said. "I should probably go."

"Sure whatever." Sam said shaking his head as he watched her turn and start to walk away. "Oh by the way, not that it's any of your business, but Chloe, the girl I'm supposedly messing around with? She's my cousin." He said.

Rory shut her eyes and cringed. She didn't know what else to do so she kept walking and walked out of the shop.

* * *

Lorelai was sat on the couch, feeding Mia, when the front door opened. "Oh hey!" She said surprised, seeing Luke. "What are you doing back?"

"I wanted to see you both. Lane's working and has offered to cover for a couple of hours so I thought I'd come back." He said, coming to sit next to her.

"You big softy." Lorelai smiled.

"Plus I brought you this." Luke said handing a Luke's takeaway bag.

"You are the best man!" Lorelai exclaimed happily, seeing a burger in the bag.

"Thought you deserved it." Luke smirked. "How is she?" He asked softly, looking down at Mia who was feeding.

"She's good." Lorelai smiled softly. "Hey, you've really changed." She said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked confused.

"Well...I seem to remember you telling me to tell the woman in the diner to stop breastfeeding and that she should go do it in a barn or something." Lorelai teased him.

"Yeah...well that was before." He said abashed. He glanced at her. "I never thought we'd get to this stage." He admitted.

"Me too." Lorelai said softly, leaning over to give him a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Luke smiled softly. "You too, princess." He smiled down at Mia.

"Sorry, you can't compete with my breasts at the moment." She smirked.

Luke chuckled. "That I can deal with. So long as I'm her second favourite."

"Nah, you're her dad. She loves my breasts but she will love you forever." Lorelai smiled.

Luke smiled. "She really is beautiful."

"She is, isn't she?" Lorelai smiled softly.

* * *

Sam was walking along the street, alongside Washington Square Park, when he suddenly saw Rory sat on one of the benches there reading a book. He sighed and slowly walked over to her. "I thought you were leaving." He said.

Rory looked up. "I just wanted to sit for a minute." She said quietly. "I can go if you want me to."

"No it's a free country." Sam sighed sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No, you were right. I had no right to go off on you about it. It wasn't my business." Rory sighed. She glanced at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's cool." He shrugged.

"So you work with your cousin? That's pretty cool." Rory said cautiously.

Sam smiled slightly. "Yeah, Chloe's the one good thing here at the moment. It's her family I'm living with now."

"Oh." Rory said quietly. "I thought you didn't like living with your family?"

"Well I'd much rather still be living with my dad." Sam said.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking." Rory said quietly.

Sam sighed. "It's fine. I wish my dad was still around but Chloe and I have always got on. And my aunt and uncle have been great. It's not the same but it's ok." He explained.

Rory nodded. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose the one most important person in my life. Losing my mom...I don't even know how I would cope." She said. She sighed and glanced at him. "I'm sorry about before. You were completely right about everything. My mind...it's just all over the place at the moment."

"Look.." Sam said. "I like you." He said honestly. "I've liked you since the first day I met you. I think I've made that clear. But I'm not going to stand around and deal with your mixed signals. It's not fair." Sam said.

"You wanted me when I kept telling you I was with Tristan! You've messed around with my feelings too! You thought it was just a fun game." Rory defended.

"Fun game?" Sam laughed. "None of this has been a fun game to me. Look, ok, maybe I shouldn't have flirted with you while you were with Tristan but you flirted back. You didn't exactly stop me."

"So why have you suddenly stopped trying to woo me especially now you know me and Tristan broke up?" Rory challenged.

"You really don't know me at all, do you? Yes I was playing around a bit but I did back off when I realised you didn't feel the same way about me. I had Jess telling me Tristan was a good guy and warning me to be careful." Sam said. "But this isn't all down to me. I'm genuinely sorry about you and Tristan but if you think I would just swoop in while you're upset about the break up, you really don't know me. I might have fun bantering and flirting but I'm not spiteful. It's obvious you and Tristan had a long history and if you think I would just take advantage of the fact you were upset, then I guess I misjudged you. You and Tristan have just broken up. You need to sort your head out and think about what you really want. And I don't want to be in your way while you do that. So once you know what you actually want, let me know." He said. He glanced at her. "It might be fun and games to you but I've genuinely fallen for you so if you don't feel the same way, I think it might be best we stay apart."

Rory looked at him, shocked at his honesty. "You've fallen for me?" She said stunned.

"I thought that was pretty obvious." Sam shrugged. He then stood up and sighed. "Do you still want that tour?" He asked.

"What?" She said surprised.

"Well I did promise you one and I never break my promises." He said. "And don't worry, I promise not to come onto you while we sight-see." He said, smirking slightly.

Rory smirked slightly but then smiled genuinely at him. "A tour would be nice." She said softly. "You sure you don't mind?"

"It's just one afternoon." Sam shrugged. "I'm sure I can contain my feelings for that long."

"Sam..." Rory said quietly.

"It's fine. Come on, I know the best place to eat." He said.

"It's not a hot dog stand by the subway is it?" Rory asked, smirking slightly.

Sam looked at her in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Jess took me there when I came to see him once." Rory said. "I wanted to know why he'd left Charlotte so I skived school and came to find him for answers."

"Get you, skiving school. I never thought that would be possible." Sam smirked.

"Shut up." Rory smirked, following him.

* * *

"So, I was thinking we should have a party for Jack's 1st birthday next month..." Charlotte said as she bounced Jack on her knee as she and Jess were sat on the couch in their apartment.

"A party? Really?" Jess groaned.

"Oh come on, spoilsport. It's our son's 1st birthday. He's never going to be 1 again. We should celebrate." Charlotte enthused.

Jess sighed. "Ok fine, but we're not inviting the whole town!" He warned.

"Well if we're having it at the diner, people will be able to come in." Charlotte grinned.

"The diner? Why do we need to have it at the diner?"

"Because, it's central and it would mean Luke can be there." Charlotte said. "Plus we met there and Jack wouldn't be here if we hadn't met." She pointed out.

"You're too sentimental, you know that right?" Jess shook his head.

"Yeah but you love that about me." She grinned.

Jess smirked slightly. "Ok fine, let's have a party." He relented.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "I'll start designing invitations."

"You do that." He said.

"You know you have the best daddy, right?" She grinned at Jack. "Yes you do!" She laughed as he smiled up at her.

Jess just shook his head. "Yeah and you have the craziest mommy." He smirked.

"Oh shush you!" Charlotte laughed.

* * *

"Well...thanks for the tour." Rory said as she stood outside The Strand with Sam.

"It's cool." He said. "I better get back to work though."

"Oh yeah, of course." Rory said. "Uh..well..."

"I guess I may or I may not hear from you then." Sam said smiling slightly. "Take care of yourself yeah?"

"Yeah...uh...you too." Rory said awkwardly.

Sam smiled. "Oh come here." He said giving her a hug. "Good luck at Yale yeah? In case I don't speak to you before you finish."

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Bye Rory." He smiled.

"Bye." Rory said. She watched him walk back into The Strand. She couldn't help but smile as she saw him start talking to some customers and laughing with them. She watched him for a moment longer before reluctantly turning around and heading back to the subway, sighing. She'd had a fun day. Once the awkwardness of the talk they had had before had gone, they soon got into their old bantering ways and she realised she had enjoyed spending time with him again. She knew he was right though. She did have to sort out her head though. She needed to wallow for her relationship with Tristan and then she had to really think about what she wanted. And she was going to. She was determined to sort herself out. She needed to.

 **Sorry it's not as long as the others but I promise the next chapter will be longer! :) Hope you liked it and I'd love to know what you think so please keep the reviews coming! Your support constantly overwhelms me so thank you! :)**


	103. Chapter 103

**Thanks for your continued support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 100

It had been a month since Mia had been born and since Rory had seen Sam in New York. She had been focusing on her finals and waiting to hear back about the internship at the New York Times. She was getting restless as all her friends had been hearing back from their future prospects already. Paris had been accepted into so many colleges for her masters degree that she didn't know what to choose and Lucy and Olivia had already decided what they were going to do. She hadn't really had time to think about Sam, or she was just procrastinating thinking about him. She sighed as she walked towards her apartment. Just as she was, Doyle came bursting out.

"Have a nice life!" Doyle shouted through the door.

"Doyle, is everything ok?" Rory said surprised.

"Oh yeah, everything's great. My girlfriend of 2 and a half years just broke up with me, but other than that..." He said.

"She did? Why?" Rory said shocked.

"Who knows?" He said and then raised his fault. "Maybe because she's psycho!"

"I am not psycho!" Paris shouted from inside.

"Oh yes you are!" He shouted back.

"What happened?" Rory asked.

"Ask Paris." He said. "And hey, if you find out why we broke up, let me know."

"Oh, but Doyle, where are you going to go?" She asked.

"Crashing on my metro editor's couch for a couple of days, then I'll be back for my stuff. See you around." He said quietly.

"Yeah, see you around." Rory said before heading inside.

"Is he gone?" Paris asked.

"Yeah. What happened?"

"We broke up."

"But why?"

"I have a really big decision to make and I'm not about to let him influence it." Paris said.

"Was he trying to pressure you into staying in Connecticut next year?" Rory asked although she doubted Doyle would do that.

"Well, no, not overtly, but it was in the air. And statistically, taking into account my geographic and socioeconomic background, the chances of me remaining with my college boyfriend are slim. So how am I going to feel in 20 years when I look back and realise that I based such a huge decision on some college guy who may or may not make the holiday newsletter cutoff?" She said.

"But you love him."

"Well you loved Tristan but look how that turned out." Paris said. She saw Rory's expression and sighed. "Sorry." She said quietly.

"No, it's ok." Rory said. "Tristan and I...well, I loved him. But I guess we weren't meant to be."

"Well maybe Doyle and I weren't. Better cut ties now or later." Paris shrugged.

Rory sighed. "Ok." She said knowing it was better not to argue with Paris when she had something set in her mind. She glanced at her. "Have you heard from Tristan?" She asked.

"The odd email but not much." Paris said. She glanced at her. "It's not weird that I'm still in touch with him, is it?" She checked.

"What? No, of course not!" Rory said. "You and Tristan were friends long before I even knew him. You're free to be in touch with him whenever."

Paris nodded. She looked at him. "What about this Sam guy?"

"What about him?" She said.

"Well you were talking about him non stop before and now you've suddenly stopped. What's happened?" She asked.

"Nothing's happened. We're just...he's in New York. He's busy." Rory said.

"Right." Paris said. "So you don't like him then?"

"What made you think I liked him?" Rory frowned.

"Well like I said before, you talked about him a lot. You were exactly the same before you and Tristan got together. Was that why the two of you broke up?" She asked.

"Paris..." Rory groaned.

"Please. I need a distraction at the moment. Please." Paris said.

Rory sighed. "I don't know, ok? I don't know if I like Sam. Tristan was jealous of my friendship with him, yeah. I can't really blame him after what happened with Logan but it's not why we broke up. The long distance thing wasn't working. We weren't working anymore. We were missing each other's calls and we never knew when we were going to see each other next. We just...It wasn't working."

"So what about Sam? What happened there?"

Rory sighed again. "I went to see him in New York and got jealous when I saw him messing around and laughing with this girl he was working with. We got into a fight and then he revealed she was his cousin."

"Wow..." Paris said stifling a smirk.

"We talked later and he said I needed to think about what I really wanted. He said it wasn't fair on him. He was right." She shrugged.

"And...have you thought what you want?" Paris asked.

"No." She said. "I don't want to think about it because I know if I do, I won't stop thinking about him." She said.

"So you finally admit you like him then?"

Rory was quiet. "I feel like I'm betraying Tristan."

"What?" Paris said surprised.

"I know it's hypocritical after what I did with Logan but we've only been broken up for a month. Isn't it too soon to get with someone new? Isn't it disrespectful or something?" Rory said.

"Rory, if you like Sam, you should talk to him. I'm sure Tristan will move on at some point as well. You're broken up. You're entitled to do what you please." Paris said. "Plus he lives in New York and that's where you want to end up. At least you know it won't be another long distance relationship."

Rory had to smile at that. "Well I never thought Paris would tell me to think positively."

"I have changed." Paris said quietly.

"Yeah. You have." Rory smiled softly. "For the better, I think."

Paris smiled softly at her. "Do you think I've done the wrong thing about Doyle?" She asked quietly.

"Paris, it's your decision. If you feel like it was right, then it was. I'll be here for you whatever ok?"

"Thanks." Paris said.

"So have you decided where you're going to go yet?" Rory asked.

"No, but the good news is I came up with a point system to evaluate each institution based on faculty, earning potential, location, prestige, and perception of prestige, which I've decided is worth two points. I'm not proud of that but like you taught me with your U. Penn reaction, that's how the world works." Paris said.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're making progress."

"As if. Three more acceptances. It's crazy. I mean I always thought that I'd be able to decide between medicine and law based on the quality of schools I was offered entrance to, but at this point it's a toss-up. Everyone wants me."

"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision." Rory said.

"Of course I will. What do you think the point system's for?"

"Right." Rory said smirking slightly. "So, the mail got here. Anything for me?" She asked.

"Nothing from the Times." She glanced at Rory when she groaned. "It'll come."

"Yeah, I know. It's just waiting sucks."

"Yeah, it does. They'd be a fool to not give it to you. I'm sure it will be good news."

"Thanks Paris." Rory smiled softly.

* * *

"So, everything's sorted for tomorrow right?" Charlotte checked with Jess that evening.

"Yeah. Like it was an hour ago, and an hour before that, and an hour before that..." Jess smirked.

"Oh shush you! I just want to make sure it's going to be the best day ever for Jack." She said collapsing down next to him on the couch.

"I know." He smirked, leaning across to give her a kiss. "Everything's sorted. I made sure, I promise."

"I know." She sighed. "Sorry I've been such a pain."

"No you haven't. You're just being the best mom ever." Jess smiled.

"I just want it to be good." Charlotte said.

"I know. Me too." He smiled. "Rory's still coming back for it right?"

"Yeah she texted me today to say she'd definitely make it." She said.

"Cool. She hasn't heard back from the internship yet?"

"No." She sighed. "I think it's getting her down."

"Well she'll hear from them." Jess said.

"Hey, have you heard back from Sam? Is he coming tomorrow?" Charlotte asked.

"He's not sure yet." Jess said.

"Oh...well isn't he leaving it a bit late to let us know?"

"I don't know." Jess shrugged. "To be honest, I think it has to do with Rory coming."

"What, have they fallen out or something?" Charlotte frowned.

"No, not really. Just he admitted to her that he'd fallen for her." Jess said.

"What? And you failed to tell me this because...?" She exclaimed.

"Sorry! I assumed Rory would tell you!" Jess said. "Anyway, he told her to think about what she really wanted. He didn't want to pounce straight after her and Tristan and well...I'm guessing she hasn't got back to him."

"Oh..." Charlotte said. "Well maybe that's why she's down at the moment as well. I thought it was because she was nervous about finals and hearing back from the internship."

"But you think it's not?" Jess said interested.

"No, I'm sure it is. But if I know my sister, if Sam did really tell her that, she will be procrastinating talking to him."

"You think she might like him?"

"I don't know." Charlotte shrugged. "She told me they were just friends and she hadn't really thought about it. But I saw the way she looked at him and the way she laughed when she hung out with him." She admitted. "I don't know."

"Well I'm sure they'll figure it out." Jess said. "Sam is a good guy though."

"I know that." Charlotte reassured him. "I like him, you know I do. We shouldn't get involved though."

"Yeah you're probably right."

"So, what do you want to watch tonight?" She asked.

"Don't mind." He shrugged. "We could just head to bed early. You know, what with it being a busy day tomorrow." He smirked.

Charlotte smirked. "Well you do know how I need my sleep..."

"Oh I do." Jess nodded. He got up and held out his hand. "Coming?"

"You bet!" She grinned, taking it and letting him lead her to their bedroom.

* * *

The following morning, Rory and Paris were having breakfast in peaceful silence, reading newspapers.

"So, I don't know where I'll be but I think I know what I'll be." Paris said after a while looking up.

"Really?"

"A doctor." She nodded.

"Oh Paris, that's great." Rory smiled.

"It's always been my dream, you know? Last night when I was lying in bed watching the ceiling spin..."

"I told you that last drink was a mistake." Rory joked.

"It just became perfectly clear. I've always wanted to be a doctor for as long as I remember. When I was a kid, I used to cut the heads off my dolls to see what was inside."

"I'm guessing you didn't put that on your applications."

"I let myself get swayed by the promise of black-card corporate America but the truth is I want to be a physician. Always have, always will." She admitted.

"Well, I think it's a very noble profession." Rory smiled as Doyle suddenly came into the apartment.

"Hey Paris. Hello Rory." He said, coming through to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Hey Doyle." Rory said.

"What are you doing here?" Paris asked.

"I live here." Doyle said.

"Uh yeah, but we agreed you'd be the one to move out."

"About that, I changed my mind." He said.

"It's inappropriate for my best friend to be living alone with my ex-boyfriend."

"I don't want to live alone with her. No offence, Rory." Doyle said.

"None taken." Rory smirked.

"We can't all live together. We're broken up!" Paris exclaimed getting up.

"Actually I changed my mind about that, too."

"What do you mean? What is he talking about?" Paris asked Rory.

"I don't think he wants to break up." Rory said.

"That's right I don't. Oh and by the way, I think you got into two more med schools, Washington University and Duke. You know I never saw myself living in St. Louis or North Carolina but who knows? Maybe I'll end up there." Doyle shrugged.

"What are you talking about?"

"I love you, Paris Geller. You are the strongest, most infuriating, most exciting woman I have ever met in my entire life and there is no way I'm going to let you go." Doyle admitted.

"You don't have a choice!" Paris exclaimed.

"Sure I do. Just because you don't want to base your decision on me doesn't mean I can't base my decision on you."

"That's absurd."

"Anywhere you go, I'm going."

"We're too young to do this!" She said.

"Maybe you are but I'm older and a heck of a lot more mature." Doyle said.

"So...you're saying that if I go to Alaska, you're going to move there too?" Paris said slowly moving towards their bedroom.

"Well, I've always wanted to go dog-sledding." He said smirking slightly.

"That's ridiculous, with your low threshold for cold." Paris said, smirking as well.

Rory smiled as she watched them disappear into their bedroom. She was happy for Paris. She knew she genuinely loved Doyle and she deserved that happiness. She pulled her cell out and scrolled through her contacts. Her finger hovered over Sam's number but she sighed before putting her cell on the table. She suddenly saw the post on the table that Doyle had brought in. She took a deep breath before looking through it and she finally found one from The New York Times. She took another breath and composed herself before she nervously opened it with Paris' lucky letter opener.

 _Dear Miss Gilmore,_

 _We are thrilled to inform you that we would like to offer you the internship for..._

She didn't need to read anymore. She couldn't believe it. She had actually done it. The New York Times wanted her. She felt herself shaking as she picked up her phone again. This time she didn't hesitate before calling Sam's number.

"Hello?" He answered.

"I got the internship! The one at the New York Times! I got it, I actually got it!" She exclaimed.

"Rory?" Sam said.

"Of course it's Rory! Who do you think it is?" She exclaimed.

"Sorry, my mistake." Sam chuckled. "So you got it, huh? Congratulations, I knew you would. They'd be idiots to let you go."

Rory smiled. "I can't believe it. I really thought...I was really preparing myself for them to say no..."

"Well I knew you could do it." Sam smiled. "Congratulations." He said sincerely.

"Thanks." Rory said softly. "So..uh..I should call my mom and Charlotte..."

"Wait, you rang me first?" He said surprised.

"Uh...yeah..." Rory said, suddenly realising that was the truth. She hadn't thought about it, she just rang.

"Ok..." He said.

"I'm sorry. I know we agreed for me not to call you until...well, you know. But I just...I wanted to call you." Rory admitted.

"Well I'm glad you did." Sam smiled. "Go ring your mom and Charlotte."

"Ok." Rory smiled.

"Oh, are you going to Jack's party thing today?" He asked casually.

"Yeah, I'm heading there in a bit." Rory said. "Why, are you?"

"Well Jess invited me. I wasn't sure if I should go. I didn't want things to be awkward but...would it be ok if I came?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Rory said. "Yeah you should come." She smiled.

"Ok. Well maybe I'll see you there then." He smiled.

"Maybe you will." Rory said.

"Bye Rory."

"Bye." Rory said, hanging up with a huge beam on her face. She sat there for a moment before dialling her mom's number.

* * *

Later that day, Jack's 1st birthday party was in full swing at the diner. Rory joined Charlotte and Jess at the table. "Where's the birthday boy?" She asked.

"He was with Grandma the last time I checked but he could well be with Miss Patty." Charlotte joked.

"So long as he doesn't get handed to Kirk, I'm cool." Jess joked. "Do you want a drink?"

"Yeah, coffee please." Charlotte smiled.

"Rory?" Jess offered.

"Oh yeah, coffee for me too, thanks." Rory smiled.

"Be right back." He said heading up.

"Hey, so congratulations again about the internship! You must be so happy!" Charlotte grinned.

"Yeah, and relieved!" Rory said. "I didn't really have a plan B." She admitted.

"Good thing you didn't need one then." Charlotte joked.

"The party seems to be going well. You must be happy." Rory smiled.

"Yeah I am..." She admitted. She glanced around and then smiled at her sister. "It's weird right?"

"What is?" Rory asked.

"Well I'm here celebrating my son's 1st birthday and you've not gone left at Yale. We're old." She joked.

Rory laughed. "And mom and Luke have Mia now as well." She smiled looking over at her mom who had Mia on her lap, with Luke hovering close by.

"I always worried when we were younger that when we did eventually move out permanently that mom would be sad. But Jess and I are in New York, you're going to be not too far away in New York and she's got Luke and Mia. We've all got exactly what we want. Life's good right?" She smiled.

"Yeah, it is." Rory smiled softly. She saw Charlotte glance over at Jess. "So you and Jess, is everything good again now? I know you said it was but..."

"Yeah, it's good." Charlotte smiled.

"Good." Rory smiled, suddenly spotting Sam walking in.

Charlotte followed her glance. "So why don't you go and make yourself happy?" She said.

"What?" Rory glanced at her.

"Sam." Charlotte said. "It's obvious you like him. Go, seize the day. Life's too short." She smiled softly.

Rory glanced over at Sam who had seen Jess and had gone over to talk to him. She then glanced back at Charlotte. "You really think so?"

"Well you've put off talking to him for a month. If you didn't like him, you would have told him straight away." She pointed out. She saw Rory's surprised look. "Jess told me what Sam told you in New York." She admitted. "Don't get mad at him. He thought you would have told me."

"I was going to but...I was just trying not to think about him." She admitted. "I needed to focus on my finals."

"And you didn't want to think about him because...?" Charlotte pressed.

Rory glanced over at Sam who caught her eye and she couldn't help blushing. "Because...I think I like him." She finally admitted.

Charlotte smiled. "Then go get him, Ror. Be happy." She said softly.

Rory bit her lip but then nodded. She got up and headed over to the counter just as Jess came back to the table. "Something I said?" He joked.

"No." Charlotte laughed. "No, I think Rory's about to make Sam's day." She smiled softly.

"What?" Jess said confused. She followed Charlotte's gaze over to the counter and suddenly understood. "She likes him?"

"She's seizing the day." Charlotte nodded.

"Huh." Jess smiled.

Meanwhile, Rory had headed over to the counter where Sam was. "Hey.." She said nervously.

"Hey back." He smiled.

"Hey Rory?" Luke suddenly came over. "Sorry to interrupt but you couldn't head to Doose's and get some more cheese and some burger buns, could you? I would ask Charlotte but...well she would kill me if she knew I didn't order enough food." He said smirking slightly.

Rory laughed. "Sure, I don't mind." She said.

"I'll come with you." Sam said.

"Ok." She smiled, heading towards the door with him.

They headed to Doose's, got the cheese and buns and then headed back out. Rory stopped just outside Doose's which caused Sam to stop and turn round. "You ok?" He asked.

"Yes...no...I don't know." She admitted.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I just...I didn't want to be in front of the diner, in front of...well, everybody, when I do this..." Rory said.

"Do what?" Sam said, suddenly feeling nervous. Maybe she wanted to cause him the awkwardness of turning him down in front of everyone.

"When I opened that letter today from the Times, I didn't hesitate before calling you first." She said. "Not mom, not Charlotte, but you. I rang you."

"Ok..." He said slowly.

"Charlotte was right. If I knew there was nothing in it, I would have told you so in New York." Rory said. "But I didn't and then I finally heard from the Times and the first person I rang was you. The first person I wanted to tell was you. And then I knew..."

"Knew what?" Sam asked walking towards.

"I knew...I knew I liked you." Rory said quietly. "I knew...I knew I wanted to give us a chance. I'm all in...well if you still are?" She said nervously.

Sam didn't say anything but he just walked forwards, took the Doose's bag from her hand and place it on the pavement for pulling her towards him and kissing her. "I am definitely still in." He said after pulling away after a moment.

"Yeah?" Rory said quietly, smiling.

"Oh yeah." Sam laughed, pulling her towards him again. "Now I know why you didn't want to do that in front of all your family and this town." He joked.

Rory laughed. "Oh yeah..." She said reciprocating his kiss but making it more passionately. "You really want this?" She asked softly.

"I want this." He said sincerely. "What about you?"

"I want it too." She smiled.

"Glad we're in agreement." Sam smiled.

"Hey! Get your asses inside the diner now or you're going to miss the cutting of the cake!" They suddenly saw Charlotte calling over to them, grinning.

Rory blushed. "We'll be right there." She called.

"You better do, lovebirds, or else I'll set Luke on you!" She smirked, before disappearing back into the diner.

Rory smirked and glanced at Sam before picking up the Doose's bag. "We better head back."

"I think that would be wise." He laughed. "Walk you back, miss?" He smiled.

Rory smiled. "I'd like that."

"After you then." Sam smiled.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :) And as we're getting near the end of where we got in the show, let me know also what you would like me to do afterwards. I'd like to do a sequel but should I follow on from this or have a bit of a time jump? Feel free to let me know your opinions! Thanks! :)**


	104. Chapter 104

**Sorry for the delay! I've been working longer hours than my old job and it was my birthday at the weekend so I was busy then! Here's the next chapter! :) Just a little info, in my story, Lane and Zach haven't become parents! They married but haven't had kids. :)**

Chapter 101

Rory, Lorelai, Charlotte were all in the living room for Friday Night Dinner at the Gilmore Mansion.

"Charlotte, I was sorry to hear Jess couldn't make it tonight." Emily said.

"You were?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"Ok I might not be Jess' biggest fan but I'm clever enough to realise I can't exactly do anything about that and I don't want to lose you again." Emily said. "You know your own mind. Just like your mother."

Charlotte smiled slightly. "I'll take that as a compliment." She said.

Emily smirked slightly. "So Jess is watching Jack?" She asked.

"Yeah, Jack's been really cranky today so we thought it would be best to not bring him." Charlotte said.

"Yeah and Luke's joining them as well." Lorelai said. "That's why he couldn't come."

"And Rory, we were so sorry to hear about you and Tristan." Emily said.

"Oh..uh..thanks." Rory said taken aback.

"He was a lovely boy." Emily said.

"Yeah...he was." Rory said quietly. She glanced at her. "I guess if we'll all being open and honest now, I should admit that I'm actually seeing someone new." She admitted.

"Oh?" Emily said surprised.

"His name's Sam." She said. "It's quite recent."

"Was that why you and Tristan broke up?" Emily asked.

"Mom..." Lorelai said.

"It's only a question." Emily defended.

"It does seem rather quick." Richard joined in the conversation.

Rory sighed. "Sam's not the reason Tristan and I broke up. We just weren't working anymore. It was a mutual thing. I wasn't planning on getting with someone else but it just happened. Sam fell for me and I...well, I fell for him."

"So how do you know this Sam?" Richard asked.

"He's Jess' friend." Charlotte interjected.

"Jess' friend?" Emily asked surprised.

"From New York." Charlotte nodded.

"He lives in New York?" She asked.

"Yeah. He lives there and works there. At The Strand." Rory said.

"The Strand?" Richard asked interested. "I've always wanted to go there."

"Well I'm sure you'll be welcome. Seeing as I've heard back from the internship and I got it." Rory said.

"You got it?" Emily asked excited.

"I got it." Rory smiled.

"Well Rory, that is the greatest news!" Richard said proudly. "We knew you could do it."

"Thank you." Rory ducked her head modestly, relieved that the subject seemed to have veered off Sam thankfully.

"Well, your grandfather and I have a little surprise for you now we know the good news." Emily said.

"Uh oh." Lorelai said.

"What?" Rory said.

"Did you name another building after her?" Lorelai joked.

"No." Emily rolled her eyes.

"No I know I know, you bought Yale and named it Rory. From now on, the Ivy League is going to be Harvard, Princeton, and Rory. Has a nice sound, though." Lorelai grinned.

"A nice ring to it." Charlotte smirked.

"So what's the surprise?" Rory rolled her eyes at her mom and sister's antics.

"Your grandfather and I have decided to purchase a little Pied-Terre in the city." Emily continued.

"Nothing fancy. Just a little two-bedroom on the Upper East Side." Richard nodded.

"That's exciting." Rory said.

"Now we realise that the Upper East Side is not the most convenient address for an employee of the New York Times but it's just a 20-minute cab ride to work." Emily said.

"You're giving her an apartment, mom?" Lorelai said surprised.

"No. It'll be our apartment but Rory's to live in. Of course we would never drop by unannounced." She said.

"Well, that goes without saying." Richard said.

"But I might!" Charlotte grinned. "That's so cool, your own apartment!"

"We would just come in on the occasional weekend and maybe stay over some nights when we're going to be in the city late." Emily said.

"Hear that, honey? You and Grandma are going to be roomies." Lorelai grinned.

"So, what do you think?" Emily asked, ignoring Lorelai.

"Oh well, it's a very generous offer..." Rory said.

"Oh, we're glad to do it." Richard said.

"But I don't know...I don't want charity..." She said.

"Oh please, this isn't charity. This is our apartment. It's going to be there whether you take it or not. It's just an offer." Emily shrugged.

"Well..." Rory said biting her lip, thinking about how close the Upper East Side was to where Sam worked and lived.

"If you don't take it, I will!" Charlotte joked.

"Ok, thank you. Thank you so much." Rory said gratefully.

"Oh excellent!" Emily smiled happily. "Now let's go and eat."

"Let's!" Lorelai nodded.

* * *

Lorelai was on the phone walking towards Luke's with Charlotte and Jack, the following week. "Hi, hon, it's me." Lorelai was saying into the phone. "Just calling to check in and wish you luck this morning. I know it's your first final and I know you're gonna knock their socks off or their bow ties or whatever it is you knock off professors when you're trying to impress them. Call me when you're done. I love you. Bye."

"Voicemail?" Charlotte smirked.

"Oh you jest..." Lorelai said.

Charlotte grinned. "Sorry."

"So I thought Jess was going to join us for lunch today?" Lorelai said.

"He was but he was having a serious talk on the phone to Chris and Matt." She shrugged.

"Serious?" Lorelai frowned. "Is everything ok?"

"I think so..." Charlotte hesitated.

"That doesn't sound very convincing." Lorelai said.

"I don't know. I just think he's getting a bit bored with it all." Charlotte admitted.

"Bored? But I thought he loved his job? I thought you both did?" Lorelai frowned.

"We do!" Charlotte said. "Well Jess did...but I don't know. He's always wanted to write a book. He's written two and got both published. That's what he wanted. i can sort of understand if he wanted to move on to something else."

"But what about you?" She asked.

"I'm enjoying my work. I'm sure I'd still be able to work for Truncheon." Charlotte said.

"So what would Jess do?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"But is that wise, him just throwing his job in and not having another plan?" Lorelai frowned.

"Mom..." Charlotte sighed.

"Right, sorry. Not my business." She said.

Charlotte sighed. "I just...I want him to be happy."

"I know hon." Lorelai said as they entered the diner. They immediately saw Babette and Patty whispering really loudly.

"Hi guys!" Lorelai smiled.

"Lorelai, Charlotte! Oh and gorgeous Jack!" Patty gushed.

"Hi girls." Babette said.

"What's with the whispering?" Charlotte asked.

"We're saving our voices." Babette said.

"I think that ship has sailed." Lorelai joked.

"Oh we're debuting our cabaret act tonight at K.C.'S." Patty told them.

"Oh, I thought Saturday was karaoke night at K.C.'S." Lorelai said.

"It is so we went over there this morning and signed ourselves up for the first 15 songs." Babette smiled.

"I'm sure the karaoke regulars will love that." Lorelai said smirking slightly.

"Absolutely!" Charlotte nodded, grinning.

"So what do you think, to open the show, Streisand or Porter?" Patty asked.

"You cannot go wrong with either one." Lorelai said.

"You're both going to be there right?" Babette asked.

"We wouldn't miss it." Lorelai said.

"And I'm sure we can persuade Rory to come back too." Charlotte said. "She wouldn't want to miss it. Plus she may even bring Sam."

"Oh is that the gorgeous guy she was with at Jack's party?" Patty asked excitedly.

"That's him." Charlotte nodded.

"Oh he's a fox!" Babette exclaimed. "Are those two an item then?"

"They might be. But you didn't hear that from me." Charlotte smirked.

"Right well we're here for lunch so we'll catch you later." Lorelai smiled. "Your sister is so going to kill you." She whispered to Charlotte as they went over to an empty table.

"It'll be worth it." She grinned.

* * *

Charlotte returned to her apartment with Jack to find Jess sat at the table writing a list. "Hey!" She said.

"Oh hey." He said looking up. "How was lunch?"

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "Luke's busy planning stuff to do when April gets here for the summer."

"Oh yeah, he's excited about that huh?"

"Yeah, it's quite sweet really." Charlotte smiled. "He's really missed her since she's gone off to New Mexico."

"Yeah." Jess said.

"So...that phone call when I left sounded quite serious..." Charlotte said cautiously.

"Yeah...uh...I was going to talk to you about that..." Jess said glancing up at her. He sighed. "You know how I've not exactly been motivated recently..."

"I've noticed that." She nodded.

"I don't know what it was. Maybe everything that went on between us and me starting to see things in a different light. I just realised what's important. And I want to do something I love." He said.

"And you don't love Truncheon anymore?" Charlotte guessed.

"Not really..." Jess admitted. "Is that bad?"

"No. You've achieved what you wanted to do. I can sort of understand it." She said slowly.

"You're not disappointed in me for giving it up?" Jess said hesitantly.

"Disappointed? No! I want you to be happy, Jess." Charlotte assured him. "So...you did quit?"

"Pretty much." Jess nodded.

"How did Chris and Matt take it?"

"They were ok. We talked a lot and they understood. I didn't make this decision lightly. Plus Truncheon is doing well so they're not going to be losing money." Jess said.

"You don't mind if I still work for them though, right?" She checked.

"About that..." Jess said.

"What? You didn't tell them I quit too, did you?" Charlotte frowned.

"No! I would never do that! But...actually they mentioned something. Something really amazing! Well for you anyway." Jess said.

"What?" She asked.

"Apparently someone from a big book brand came to the most recent open house. They saw some of your art displayed and your illustrations and they want to hire you as an illustrator for their books that they sell." Jess said.

"What?" Charlotte said shocked. "You mean like hire me as a proper illustrator?"

"Sounds like it." He nodded. "I told them I'd let you know and let you get back to them about it."

"Well what sort of books would it be for?" She asked.

"I don't know. I think it's a variety." Jess said.

"Chris and Matt would be ok with me taking the job? Leaving Truncheon?"

"Well no, they'd hate to lose you but they know that with Truncheon you were only doing occasional illustrations and they knew with this other job, you'd be doing it the whole time and they know that's something you've always wanted." Jess said.

Charlotte bit her lip. "I have dreamt about being a proper illustrator but I'd feel bad about leaving Chris and Matt in the lurch. They've already lost their best author." She said.

"They won't mind. They're reasonable guys. They'll understand." Jess shrugged. "Look why don't you have a think and then give them a call later?"

"Yeah ok." She said. She glanced at the list he was writing. "So what's with the list?"

"Oh well, I'm planning..."

"For what?"

"Well, I spoke to Lane and Zach this week and they've been planning on taking the band on tour." Jess said. "I've sort of asked if they could do with another member of the band..."

"So you're going on tour with Hep Alien?" Charlotte smiled softly.

"If that would be ok with you..." Jess said. "I mean you and Jack are welcome to come with us but it's up to you. If you take this other job, you will probably want to stay here."

"True. But I'm sure we could join you some places." She smiled.

"Really?" Jess said hopefully.

"Well I'd want Jack to be able to see his rockstar of a dad on stage." She teased.

Jess chuckled. "Right."

"So the list?"

"Well the tour wouldn't be until the end of this year so it's a plan of how I can still earn money and support you guys before I go." He said.

"Organised." Charlotte smiled. "So what's the plan?"

"So far I've just got working at the diner." Jess smirked.

"Fun!" She grinned. "Anyway, make sure you've got tonight free because we are going to because Babette and Patty are taking over karaoke night."

"Oh fun." He smirked dryly.

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! I'm going to try and persuade Rory to come and try and get her to bring Sam too. Oh and we could sing!" She grinned.

"No way." Jess said.

"Come on, it'll be good practice for you tour." She grinned. "I'm going to go call Rory now ok? Ok. Be ready for this evening. Love you!" She grinned disappearing into their bedroom.

* * *

That evening, Charlotte and Jess dropped Jack off with Emily and Richard to babysit and then met up with Rory and Sam and they went into the diner to meet Lorelai, who had dropped Mia off at Sookie and Jackson's beforehand, to walk with her to . They walked in to find Lorelai talking softly to Luke.

"Hey!" Charlotte said.

"Oh hey!" Lorelai smiled at them all. "Hey hon." She smiled giving her a hug. "Sam, it's nice to see you again."

"You too." Sam smiled.

"You ready?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh well..." Lorelai said hesitantly, glancing at Luke.

"You go. Have some fun. You deserve it." He said.

"What's going on?" Rory asked.

"Nothing." Lorelai said.

"That sounds convincing." Charlotte said.

Lorelai sighed. "Luke just got some bad news, that's all."

"What bad news?" Jess asked glancing at his uncle.

"It's not that bad. April can't make it for all the time she'd planned to. It's no big deal." Luke said.

"Oh Luke, I'm sorry." Charlotte said sympathetically, knowing how much he had planned for April's visit.

"It's fine. I mean she got on this amazing science camp where she gets to meet Nobel Prize winners and stuff. It's a great opportunity for her. I'm happy for her. And she still gets to come for two weeks afterwards." Luke said.

"That's cool." Rory said.

"You all have fun at karaoke night." He smiled softly.

"You should come, Luke!" Charlotte said.

"That's what I was telling him." Lorelai said.

"Yeah come on, Luke. It'll be fun." Jess smirked.

Luke gave Jess a look but then sighed. "Well...maybe. Let me clean up first and maybe I'll catch you up." He said.

"Deal!" Lorelai smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Come on, let's motor!" She said.

* * *

Later that evening, after Kirk had done a tribute performance of David Bowie, Lorelai jumped up on stage to many cheers and after lots of drinks bought for her and lots of persuasion from Charlotte and Rory.

"Girls, this is another embarrassing moment for your diaries! Charlotte, I'm so proud of you and Rory, happy graduation!" She smiled. She chuckled nervously before starting singing.

 _If I should stay_  
 _I would only be in your way_  
 _So I'll go but I know_  
 _I'll think of you every step of the way_

 _And I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_  
 _You, m_ _y darling you_

"Your mom can sing." Sam said.

"We know!" Charlotte grinned. "It's a shame we didn't seem to inherit it!"

"You can sing." Jess defended her.

"Not as well as mom." Charlotte said.

"And I can't sing at all!" Rory smirked.

 _Bittersweet memories_  
 _That is all I'm taking with me_  
 _So good-bye_  
 _Please don't cry_  
 _We both know I'm not what you, you need_

 _And I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_

Lorelai then spotted Luke entering the bar and she exchanged a grin with him which he reciprocated. She glanced down at the lyrics screen before glancing back up at him leaning slightly on the bar watching her.

 _I hope life treats you kind_  
 _And I hope you have all you've dreamed of_  
 _And I wish you joy and happiness_  
 _But above all this I wish you love_

"I think we've lost her." Charlotte smirked. "This song is no longer for us."

Rory laughed. "Oh we've definitely lost her." She said, watching her mom gaze lovingly at Luke.

 _And I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_  
 _I will always love you_  
 _I, I will always love you_

"And it looks like it's cheered Luke up." Sam commented.

"Oh she's definitely cheered him up. She's so getting it tonight." Jess smirked.

"Eww!" Rory exclaimed.

"Jess!" Charlotte exclaimed in unison.

"Right, our turn!" Sam smirked at Jess as Lorelai rushed off the stage and went over to greet her husband.

"What?" Jess said.

"I've signed us up." He grinned.

"Us? As in us two?" Jess said. "No way!"

"Come on Jess! For old time's sake. It's been ages since we've done something like this together." Sam grinned.

"No." Jess repeated.

"What about Rory and I sing after if you and Sam sing?" Charlotte suggested. "That way you won't feel as embarrassed because everyone will be saying how embarrassing we were." She grinned.

"Thanks." Jess said dryly.

"So?" Sam said.

Jess groaned but reluctantly got up and followed Sam up onto the stage. The music start and they started singing. Sam was first.

 _When I was younger_  
 _I saw my daddy cry_  
 _And curse at the wind_  
 _He broke his own heart_  
 _And I watched_  
 _As he tried to reassemble it_

Charlotte glanced at Rory and smirked as her sister watched in astonishment. "Didn't know he could sing?" She guessed.

"I knew he could play guitar but I didn't know he could sing too." She said.

"Making you fall even more in love with him huh?" Charlotte teased.

"Shut up." Rory said blushing.

"You so are!" Charlotte laughed. She looked back up at the stage as she heard Jess start to sing.

 _And my momma swore_  
 _That she would never let herself forget_  
 _And that was the day that I promised_  
 _I'd never sing of love_  
 _If it does not exist, but darlin'_

 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_

It was Rory's turn to smirk. "Yeah and you're not smitten at all right?" She teased.

"Yeah so? I'm happy to admit it." She grinned.

 _Maybe I know, somewhere_  
 _Deep in my soul_  
 _That love never lasts_  
 _And we've got to find other ways_  
 _To make it alone_  
 _But keep a straight face_

 _And I've always lived like this_  
 _Keeping a comfortable, distance_  
 _And up until now_  
 _I had sworn to myself that I'm content_  
 _With loneliness_

 _Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

"So I know it's early days but you and Sam...you're good?" Charlotte asked genuinely.

Rory smiled slightly. "Yeah, we're good." She said softly. "It's all new but..." She said glancing up at the stage where she exchanged a smile with her boyfriend. "It feels good." She admitted.

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "I'm glad you're happy. You deserve it."

"Thanks." Rory smiled softly as they both looked back up at the stage to watch the guys.

 _But, you are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_

 _I've got a tight grip on reality_  
 _But I can't let go of what's in front of me here_  
 _I know your leaving in the morning, when you wake up_  
 _Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream, oh_

 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_

 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_  
 _You are the only exception_

 _And I'm on my way to believing_  
 _Oh, and I'm on my way to believing_

"We chose good, didn't we?" Charlotte joked.

Rory laughed. "Yeah we did."

Jess and Sam returned to the table and kissed the girls before Rory and Charlotte got up for their turn.

"So since I'll be graduating soon and moving away..." Rory started.

"And I may be at the brink of something new, something really good..." Charlotte said.

"We wanted to thank you all for being there for us. Everyone." Rory smiled. "But please excuse us, we're not exactly singers..."

"Yeah that's one thing we didn't inherit from mom!" Charlotte joked causing everyone to laugh. "So here goes!"

 _This is where the chapter ends_  
 _A new one now begins_  
 _Time has come for letting go_  
 _The hardest part is when you know_  
 _All of these years - When we were here_  
 _Are ending, but I'll always remember_

 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _Now the page is turned_  
 _The stories we will write_  
 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _And I will not forget_  
 _The faces left behind_  
 _It's hard to walk away_  
 _From the best of days_  
 _But if it has to end_  
 _I'm glad you have been my friend_  
 _In the time of our lives_

 _Where the water meets the land_  
 _There is shifting in the sand_  
 _Like the tide that ebbs and flows_  
 _Memories will come and go_  
 _All of these years_  
 _When we were here_  
 _Are ending_  
 _But I'll always remember_

 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _Now the page is turned_  
 _The stories we will write_  
 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _And I will not forget_  
 _The faces left behind_  
 _It's hard to walk away_  
 _From the best of days_  
 _But if it has to end_  
 _I'm glad you have been my friend_  
 _In the time of our lives_

 _We say goodbye_  
 _We hold on tight_  
 _To these memories_  
 _That never die_  
 _We say goodbye_  
 _We hold on tight_  
 _To these memories_  
 _That never die_

 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _Now the page is turned_  
 _The stories we will write_  
 _We have had the time of our lives_  
 _And I will not forget_  
 _The faces left behind_  
 _It's hard to walk away_  
 _From the best of days_  
 _But if it has to end_  
 _I'm glad you have been my friend_  
 _In the time of our lives_  
 _I'm glad you have been my friend_  
 _In the time of our lives_

They finished, grinning, having enjoyed the spontaneous song and were applauded enthusiastically off the stage. They headed back to their table, ready to enjoy the rest of their evening. They exchanged a smile as they were greeted by another kiss from Jess and Sam and they knew there and then that this would be a memorable night. They didn't know what the future would bring but they were excited about it.

 **So the next chapter will probably be the last one! I know this one was a bit cheesy but I hope you liked it anyway. :) Please let me know what you think as I love reading your reviews. Thanks for all your support so far! :)**


	105. Chapter 105

**I just want to take the time to thank you all so much for all your support during this story! I can't believe I've written over 100 chapters and I really didn't expect getting over 600 reviews. I've really enjoyed writing and developing this story and it really has exceeded all my expectations so thank you! It really has been so overwhelming. :) Anyway, I just want to confirm that I will be writing a sequel so I hope you will all follow me onto that. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the last chapter! :)**

Chapter 102

Charlotte had been thinking long and hard during the week about her new job prospect. She felt bad leaving Chris and Matt in the lurch but this would be for her ideal job. She would become a fully fledged illustrator and that's what she had always wanted. Jess had been very supportive and had told her that she should do what she wants. So after putting it off for days, she finally made the call to Truncheon and told Chris and Matt that she wanted to take the job. They were sad to lose her but understood completely why and were very supportive. Another bonus to taking the job, it meant she could do it anywhere and just send the work to her boss so it gave her more flexibility which meant she would be able to go see Hep Alien on your a few times.

* * *

Rory was finishing her finals week and was excited but also nervous to be graduating from Yale as it meant going out in the world by herself. Sam had taken some days off work to keep her company during her last week as well which was nice as it meant spending some quality time together and they could feel their feelings really growing.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai were still getting into a routine of being parents but they were absolutely loving it. Lorelai had taken maternity leave but she didn't like leaving Sookie and Michel in the lurch for so long so Luke had offered to leave Caesar and Lane in charge of the diner one day a week to look after Mia so that Lorelai could go to the inn and feel involved in what was going on there. They had been surprised to hear about Jess and Charlotte's new directions in their working life but they had seen how happy they were by the choices so they supported them.

* * *

Friday night came which meant the evening at the Gilmore Mansion although this time instead of a normal dinner, they were throwing Rory a graduation party.

"Is this weird?" Rory asked as she and Sam were stood with Charlotte whilst their mom had gone to greet their dad outside. Jess and Luke had both opted out of coming and so Jess was helping Luke close up the diner and then they were double teaming on the babysitting duties of Jack and Mia.

"What, this party?" Charlotte asked. "No, why?"

"Well...because they're making this whole fuss about me but didn't do anything for you..." Rory said hesitantly.

"Well that's because I was a disappointment and didn't graduate." Charlotte joked.

"Charlotte..."

"It's cool, Ror. You deserve this. Plus you know me, I don't like the fuss." Charlotte said. "It's fine."

"Ok.." Rory said relaxing a bit.

"You weren't kidding about your grandparents' parties. Very...grand." Sam said.

Rory and Charlotte both laughed. "We never kid about our grandparents' parties." Charlotte smirked.

"I see that now." Sam smirked.

"I know it's probably not your thing but I am glad you're here. You know that, right?" Rory said.

Sam smiled. "I'm glad you invited me. I wouldn't be anywhere else." He said sincerely.

"And on that note, I'm going to go and call Jess quickly. Check in on Jack." Charlotte said, walking off.

Meanwhile, Lorelai had gone just outside to meet Chris who had just arrived. "Hey!" She smiled.

"Hey!" He smiled giving her a hug. "Sorry to get you out here. I just thought...well I shouldn't just go in there all guns blazing so to speak." He said. "I wasn't sure how welcome I'd be."

"What do you mean? Of course you're welcome!" Lorelai said confused.

"Well I wasn't sure if...Luke was here or not." He admitted.

"Oh, well he's not. Him and Jess are babysitting Mia and Jack tonight." She said. "But even if he was here, you know everything's in the past now. And you and the girls seem to be doing well now."

"Yeah we are." He said smiling. "I feel stupid not being involved earlier. I should have been."

"Well the door was always open." She said.

"I know." Chris sighed.

"Anyway, like I said before, it's all in the past. Come on in and see the girls." She smiled.

"Lead the way." He smiled.

They headed back in and went over to Rory and Sam, where Charlotte had rejoined them as well. "Hey kiddos!" He smiled giving them both a hug.

"Hi dad." Rory smiled.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"What's this about you becoming a fully fledged illustrator?" He smiled.

"Oh, well it's early days yet but I'm really excited." She said.

"Well I'm proud of you." Chris smiled.

"And you must be Sam. It's nice to meet you." Chris said holding out his hand.

"You too." Sam smiled shaking his hand.

"So, are you getting excited?" Chris asked Rory.

"Yeah, I can't believe it's tomorrow." Rory smiled just as they were interrupted by Richard tapping on his glass.

"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, first let me thank you for coming to celebrate my granddaughter's graduation." He said before being pinched on his arm by Emily. "Ouch! I do beg your pardon. Celebrating _our_ granddaughter's graduation." He said getting chuckles from everyone.

"I can't let him take all the credit. Have you seen her? Can you blame me?" Emily said getting more laughs.

"So, when my wife and I sat down to write our toast, we ran into something of a problem. All of our words sounded too mundane, too insignificant to mark such an auspicious occasion as Rory's graduation from Yale. So instead... maestro..." Richard said a the piano started playing.

"Please excuse us. We're not singers." Emily said.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"This isn't happening..." Rory said.

 _You're the top, you have graduated_

 _You're the top your grandparents are elated._

 _Newspaper editor. Phi Beta Kappa wow!_

 _You're a revelation. A huge sensation._

 _You should take a bow._

 _You are done. No more school for you._

 _There is nothing. Now that you can't do._

 _You'll make us proud, we'll sing it loud._

 _It's true!_

 _Because now Rory, you're a Bulldog through and through._

There was lots of laughter and applause after they had finished.

"Oh please, stop!" Emily laughed.

"Thank you, thank you." Richard chuckled.

"Wow! Thank you for that." Rory said as she rushed up on stage and hugged them both.

"So this is us." Charlotte smirked at Sam. "Welcome to craziness. You ready for it all?"

Sam chuckled and watched Rory on the stage thanking her grandparents and smiled. "I'm pretty sure I am." He smiled.

"Well then, welcome to the family." Charlotte grinned, holding up her drink.

"I'll drink to that." Sam grinned clinking his glass with hers.

Rory rejoined them, giving Sam a quick drink, just as Chris' cell rang. "Sorry." He said. "Oh, it's the babysitter, checking to see if Gigi can watch an hour of television. I don't think she's ready for 'The Pussycat Dolls'. I'll be right back."

"Hang on! The town's throwing a party for me after my graduation next week seeing as I couldn't get tickets for them to come to it." Rory said. "Plus they also want to congratulate Charlotte on her job and me on the internship. You should come." She said.

"Oh I don't know..." Chris said not sure what the townspeople would think about him going.

"You should definitely come, dad!" Charlotte nodded. "Please?"

Chris looked at both of their smiling faces and he couldn't help but smile. "Ok. If you two want me there, of course I'll be there." He said.

* * *

Everyone was sat in a row at Yale, waiting for Rory to receive her diploma. Emily, Richard, Lorelai, Luke, Chris, Charlotte, Jess and Sam were all there. Rory had managed to get three extra tickets for Luke, Jess and Sam as she really wanted them to be there. They each meant a lot to her and she felt like they should be there.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore!" The announcer suddenly said.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to the stage to see Rory walk across the stage and receive her diploma.

"Yay, Rory!" Lorelai called out not helping herself, standing up.

"Yeah, Rory!" Charlotte followed suit and stood up with her mom too, grinning.

Rory looked over at them and smiled before happily walking off the stage.

After the ceremony, they were gathered together in the courtyard taking photos. Luke was taking the picture of Emily, Richard, Lorelai, Charlotte and Rory.

"Alright everyone. Say fromage!" Richard said.

"Dad!" Lorelai groaned.

"Must you always do that?" Emily said.

"Entertain them with that in the Great War?" Lorelai quipped.

"Got it." Luke said smirking slightly.

"Excellent." Richard smiled.

"Alright what other combinations haven't we done?" Emily said.

"Um, duh. Me, Charlotte, mom, and dad." Rory said.

"Duh? That's our Yale graduate." Emily said.

"She meant doy." Lorelai joked.

"Alright. Everybody, everybody say..." Richard started.

"Don't!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Whatever you like..." He said taking the photo. "Got it."

"Good, make sure you save it. You erased the last one." Emily said.

"I don't trust these things." Richard said.

"Ok I think we're done." Emily said. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Wait!" Chris said taking the camera off Richard. He glanced at Luke. "We should have one of the Danes/Gilmore family." He said. "Luke, Jess...you should be in one." He said.

Luke glanced at him in surprise but then nodded. "Ok. Thanks." He said.

Luke and Jess got into the photo as well and Chris took it. "Got it." He smiled.

"One last one!" Charlotte said taking the camera. "One of the happy couple." She grinned at Rory and Sam. Rory rolled her eyes but happily leaned into Sam as he came to stand next to her. "Perfect!" She grinned, taking the photo.

"Right, let's motor! So Rory, you're going with Charlotte, Jess and Sam in your car right?" Lorelai said.

"Yep." Rory nodded. "Meet you in the square?"

"See you there." She nodded.

"Mom, dad, you're coming with me in the jeep right?" Lorelai smiled at her parents.

"If that's ok?" Emily said.

"Of course." Lorelai smiled. "Plus it means we can stop by Sookie's and see Mia and Jack."

"Well there's an incentive." Richard chuckled.

"Chris, did you bring your car?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh..uh..no. It was due for its service so I took a bus, then another bus and then a cab." He admitted.

"Oh.." Lorelai said. "Well...you can get a lift with us in the jeep if you like."

"Please in your clown car?" Luke spoke up for the first time.

"Well what do you suggest? Walking?" Lorelai joked.

"No. I can take him. We can even stop by the diner for some peace before the craziness starts." Luke said.

"Oh.." She said surprised. "Uh...if you're sure?"

"I'm sure." Luke shrugged. "You up for it?" He asked, glancing at Chris.

"Uh..sure." Chris nodded. "See you there then." He smiled at Lorelai.

"See you there." She smiled, walking off with her parents.

"Thanks." Chris said glancing at Luke.

"Well you made the effort earlier. This is my way of...well saying thanks." Luke shrugged.

"Thanks." Chris said.

"Maybe we can finally bury the hatchet huh?" Luke suggested cautiously. "You never know, we might actually get along." He said smirking slightly.

Chris chuckled. "Now that would be something."

"Plus you now owe me for not having to spend over an hour in the car with Emily and Richard." Luke smirked.

Chris laughed. "I do owe you for that." He said following Luke to his truck.

* * *

Later that day, the town had a huge marquee up and music was blaring out of the sound system. Soon a slow song came in and the dance floor was vacated and then filled up again with couples.

"Thanks for putting up with all my family and town's craziness this week." Rory smiled up at Sam as she had her arms round his neck, swaying slowly to the music. "I know they can all be a bit full on but..."

"It's fine. It's been fun." Sam smiled. "It's sweet the town wanted to throw you and Charlotte a party. They obviously think a lot of you both and your mom."

Rory smiled. "Yeah." She said softly. "This town means a lot to us too. They helped mom a lot when we were younger."

"So...are you excited about New York?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Although a bit nervous too." Rory admitted.

"Don't be. You'll be great." He assured her.

"Well it will help knowing you're close." She smiled softly at him.

"And you'll be pleased to know I have managed to snag you a discount at The Strand. 40% off." He smirked.

"Really?" She said excitedly. "Oh my god, I love you!" She exclaimed but then stopped realising what she had just said. "I mean...uh..." She said embarrassed.

Sam just chuckled. "It's good to know the real reason you got with me." He teased.

"Well..." Rory joked, smirking slightly. She smiled at him. "No, I think it's pretty obvious why I decided to go out with you."

"Because you love me." Sam teased.

Rory glanced at him but saw him smiling softly at him. She bit her lip but nodded. "Yeah. Because I love you." She said softly.

"Good. Because I love you too." Sam said softly, leaning in to kiss her.

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Jess were also on the dance floor. "So, my mom wants to have lunch with us next week..." Jess said as they were dancing.

"Oh, that's nice." Charlotte said. "Isn't it?" She added hesitantly.

"Yeah. I mean I know it's her trying to make an effort. It's just...weird. She's never bothered before." Jess said.

"Well...people can change." Charlotte said glancing over at her dad who was stood with her mom and Luke at the side, smiling as her dad and Luke surprisingly shared a joke.

"Yeah I know." Jess said. "And that's why it got me thinking..."

"About what?" Charlotte asked looking back at him.

"About renewing our vows." He said.

"What?" She said surprised.

"I know couples normally renew vows like after 50 years but I feel like with everything that's happened between us, I want to show you I am 100% committed to you." Jess said.

"Jess, I know you're committed." Charlotte said softly. "You don't need to keep trying to make it up to me. I've forgiven you."

"I know that." He said. "I just...I thought it might be nice. It doesn't have to be big. Just family. And I was thinking you could invite your dad since you didn't invite him to the wedding and I could invite my mom and hope she can make it this time. I know it's out of the blue but it doesn't have to be a big ceremony. I just...I love you. I want to show you that with the renewal of the vows. New times, new era." He said.

Charlotte smiled softly. "I love you too." She said.

"So is that a yes?" He asked.

Charlotte leant forward and kissed him lovingly. "It's a yes." She said softly. "You are my whole world, you know that right?"

"And you're mine." Jess smiled softly, as the song ended and an upbeat one started. "Now let's show everyone how it's done." He smirked twirling her round.

Charlotte laughed. "This reminds me of my debutante!"

Jess chuckled. "You definitely stood out in your trainers."

"And that's why you fell for me." She grinned.

"Exactly." He smirked.

Charlotte glanced over and smiled as she saw Rory and Sam laughing and dancing around goofily as well. "Come on, let's go join the other lovebirds." She grinned.

"Lead the way." Jess grinned.

 **So that's it! Ahhhhh, I can't believe this has finally come to an end! Thank you so much again for all your support and I hope you enjoyed the last episode! :) Let me know what you think and keep your eyes peeled for the sequel! :)**


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